UCLA
Pepperdine
UCLA Scores Late Goal to Defeat Pepperdine, 1-0, in Sweet Sixteen
November 24, 2014 | Women's Soccer
Ally Courtnall started the winning play with a pass down the right sideline to Darian Jenkins, who dribbled up into the box and passed back to Mewis. The Pac-12 Player of the Year turned and then sent a left-footed shot past Pepperdine goalkeeper Hannah Seabert for the game's only goal.
The goal was Mewis' Pac-12 leading 16th of the season and her seventh game-winning goal. Mewis leads the conference in scoring with 45 points, the sixth-best total in school history.
"Sam Mewis is such a great finisher," said UCLA head coach Amanda Cromwell. "She's has such a good presence in there; it's hard to take the ball off of her. When you have her get the ball inside the 18, there's a great chance she's going to score."
The Bruins had been knocking on the door throughout the game but were stymied by Seabert, who made five saves, including a fingertip save on a header by Jenkins just minutes before Mewis' goal. Additionally, Taylor Smith hit the crossbar on a shot in the 61st minute
"It was definitely nerve-racking. We had quite a few chances; one hit the crossbar, and the keeper made a few saves; hats off to her," said Cromwell. "We just kept plugging away, though."
Bruin goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland broke the NCAA record for single-season solo shutouts with her 19th of the season. She also extended her shutout streaks to a school record 10 games and 937 consecutive scoreless minutes.
UCLA (20-0-2) extends its unbeaten streak to 44 games and its shutout streak to 10 games. The Bruins have scored 41 unanswered goals since allowing the first goal in the team's 2-1 win over Stanford on Oct. 9.
Pepperdine ends one of its most successful seasons ever with a 16-3-4 record.
The Bruins will host Virginia in the Elite Eight on Friday, Nov. 28 at 5pm at Drake Stadium. The game will be a rematch of the 2013 semifinals, which ended in a 1-1 tie. UCLA advanced to the championship after winning the shootout and went on to win its first-ever NCAA title.
"They're an awesome team, one of the best teams in the country," said Mewis on Virginia. "It's going to be a really hard game and such a challenge, but we're excited for it, and we think this game did a lot to prepare us for it. They play a similar style as Pepperdine. So we're just excited and looking forward to the game. We have a week to prepare, and it's going to be awesome, and I hope a lot of people can come out to it."
