UCLA
California
Second Half Surge Leads No. 1 UCLA to 3-0 Win over No. 22 California
October 14, 2014 | Women's Soccer
The Bruins (12-0-2, 4-0-1 in the Pac-12) outshot the Bears (10-4-0, 2-3-0) by a count of 20-4 and allowed just one shot on goal, a Grace Leer shot that was saved by Katelyn Rowland in the 65th minute.
UCLA had a strong offensive attack in the first half and had a few near-misses that could have broken open the game early. Rosie White had a goal negated by an offsides in the 19th minute. Sam Mewis had three touches that didn't go her way on one shot in the 28th minute. Mewis took a shot that was tipped by Cal goalkeeper Emily Boyd onto the crossbar. The ball pinged the crossbar and then bounced down before it was grabbed by Boyd. In the 33rd minute, Annie Alvarado chipped a crafty pass to Killion, but a challenge by two Cal players forced the shot wide.
The Bruins were quick to answer the call in the second half. Just over a minute after the second-half whistle blew, Mewis sent a pass to the right side to Taylor Smith, who sent a terrific cross into the box for Jenkins. Despite being marked heavily by a Cal defender, Jenkins one-timed it into the back of the net from close-range at 46:35 for her fourth goal of the season.
Killion's goal at 56:33 was set up by Mewis, who laid off a pass at the top of the box. Killion found a gap between two defenders and sent a left-footed shot into the left corner past Boyd. The goal was her third of the season.
Abby Dahlkemper had two lethal free kicks saved spectacularly late in the game. The first, in the 73rd minute, was saved and handled by Boyd. The second, in the 83rd minute, was too hot to handle for Boyd, who dove to punch it away. The rebound went right to Goralski, who had run up towards goal as the ball was struck. Goralski one-timed it above Boyd's head to score her second goal of the year.
“We had some chances to hit some through balls in the first half, but the pace of the service was a little hard,” said UCLA head coach Amanda Cromwell. “We were just a little out of sync on a few passes, but I thought we were dangerous and played well in the first half. Coming out in the second half and in the first minute and a half scoring that goal, that was huge, especially for Darian (Jenkins) getting back on the board again with the goal-scoring. It was important for her.”
The Bruins earned their 10th shutout of the year, Rowland's school-record 46th of her career. Mewis' two assists moved her into sole possession of seventh on UCLA's career assist list with 24.
UCLA will play its final regular season home match of the season on Friday, Oct. 17 against Arizona. The Bruins' nine-member senior class will be honored in pre-game ceremonies that will begin prior to the 7pm kickoff.
