The preseason No. 4 UCLA women's soccer team kicks off the 2015 season with a Wednesday afternoon exhibition match against Missouri. The match, which will be played in three 30-minute periods, will take place at the North Athletic Field at 3:30pm. Admission is free.
Parking is available for $12 at Lot 4, off Westwood Plaza and Sunset Blvd., underneath the North Athletic Field. Lot 4 also offers short-term pay-per-space parking spots for $3 per hour.
The Bruins return two starters from last year's squad that went 21-1-2 – senior forward Taylor Smith, who was recently selected to the MAC Hermann Watch List, and junior midfielder Annie Alvarado, who was the only underclassman to regularly start for the Bruins last year. Smith has been among UCLA's scoring leaders in each of the past three seasons, scoring 20 or more points every year – 20 as a freshman, 26 as a sophomore and 24 as a junior. Alvarado played an important midfield role in 2014, starting 23 of 24 games and scoring her first career goal to defeat Stanford, which led to her claiming Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Although the Bruins have just two returning starters, they are not without a large group of experienced players. Nine Bruins who played 15 or more games last year are back – Smith, Darian Jenkins, Zoey Goralski, Kodi Lavrusky, Alvarado, MacKenzie Cerda, Gabbi Miranda, Lauren Kaskie and Kristiana Konkol-Mroczkowski. Additionally, Courtney Proctor, who played in 24 games in 2013, returns after missing the majority of 2014 with injuries. Seven of the aforementioned players were important contributors on UCLA's NCAA Championship squad in 2013, with Jenkins earning All-America honors that season, Smith scoring the game-winning goal in double overtime at North Carolina to send the Bruins to the College Cup, and Lavrusky scoring the championship-winning goal in the final.
UCLA players have seen success in the off-season, with Alvarado, Goralski, Jenkins, Kaskie and Lavrusky leading SoCal FC to the WPSL championship game. Sophomore Gabrielle Matulich has spent time with the U.S. Under-20 National Team, and freshman Taome Oliver is fresh off playing in the U19 European Championships with England.
The Bruins are led by head coach Amanda Cromwell, who has compiled an incredible record of 43-2-5 overall and 19-0-3 in Pac-12 play in two seasons in Westwood. Cromwell has led UCLA to the 2013 NCAA title, the first ever for the Bruins, and to two consecutive Pac-12 championships.
Missouri returns eight starters from last year's team that went 12-7-3 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
UCLA's season opener is Friday, Aug. 21 at Long Beach State at 7 pm.