UCLA
Utah
Top-Ranked UCLA Hands 19th-Ranked Utah First Loss, 1-0
October 04, 2014 | Women's Soccer
Mewis' goal came courtesy a steal and pass from Taylor Smith. Mewis collected Smith's pass on the right side, ran up into the box and fired from about 15 yards out near post to beat Utah goalkeeper Lindsey Luke.
The Bruins held an 8-1 shot advantage in the first half and had some good scoring opportunities, including a shot from Mewis that was deflected just high in the 25th minute and a shot from Darian Jenkins in the 31st minute that Luke made a point blank save on.
"They were slowing down the game in the first half and spreading their backs really wide, and we were kind of letting them do it for a while, but at halftime we decided we wanted to force the issue," said UCLA head coach Amanda Cromwell. "We just came out in the second half and decided to press them higher, and that's how the goal was created."
Freshman reserve MacKenzie Cerda was a big sparkplug as a second-half starter, getting a shot that was saved by Luke just 15 seconds prior to Mewis' goal. Cerda also had another shot in the 55th minute that was saved. Smith, who finished with three shots on goal, made a great run down the right side in the 60th minute, but Luke made the save on her shot.
Utah threatened to tie late in the game, as Avery Jenkins hit the crossbar in the 83rd minute and then missed just high on a shot in the box after a flip throw in the 89th. Her final shot with just under 30 seconds to play was saved by UCLA goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland, who earned her eighth shutout of the year by making four saves. Luke finished with eight saves.
UCLA's record improves to 9-0-2, 1-0-1 in the Pac-12, while Utah falls to 7-1-3, 0-1-1. The Bruins will host Colorado on Sunday, Oct. 5 at 1pm.
The Bruins wore special white and pink jerseys for the game in support of the fight against cancer.
Watch the Bruins' Cancer Awareness Video
"We have two players - Taylor Smith and Sam Mewis - whose moms are survivors of breast cancer, and another player whose mother is battling another kind of cancer, and I lost a friend recently to cancer," said Cromwell. "It's really about cancer awareness and celebrating and fighting and trying to give positive energy to the survivors and to those fighting it now while also honoring those who have passed away."
LoadingHear from UTAHvsUCLA PlayerOfTheGame @taylorsmith14_ after #UCLA's 1-0 win (with special cameo from head coach Amanda Cromwell) #onegoal112 #uclasoccer
