Women's Soccer Begins Pac-12 Play
September 23, 2015 | Women's Soccer
UCLA vs. Oregon
Marshall Field at Drake Stadium
Friday, Sept. 25 - 8:00 pm PT
TV - Pac-12 Networks (JB Long, Temryss Lane)
Audio - uclabruins.com (Greg Mescall)
Live Stats - uclabruins.com/livestats
Twitter - @uclawsoccer
Tickets: $8 adults/$5 youth (ages 3-16)
UCLA Begins Pac-12 Play Friday
Two-time defending Pac-12 champion UCLA (4-4) opens up Pac-12 Conference play on Friday night against Oregon (3-5-0). The game will take place at 8pm at Drake Stadium following the UCLA men's soccer team's matchup with VCU at 4:30pm. Both men's and women's matches will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.
UCLA vs. Oregon
UCLA leads the overall series with Oregon, 16-2, and has won eight in a row, including last season's 5-0 blowout on the road. The Ducks are currently riding a two-game winning streak, with shutout wins over Air Force (Sept. 11) and Portland State (Sept. 18). UCLA and Oregon have one common opponent in Wake Forest. UCLA won its matchup with the Demon Deacons, 2-1, while the Ducks lost theirs, 1-0, in overtime. The Ducks have scored six goals this year, all by different players. Abby Morrow is the team's assist leader with two. Goalkeeper Halla Hinriksdottir has a 0.59 goals against average.
Oregon's coaching staff includes two former UCLA assistant coaches in head coach Kat Mertz (2000-04) and assistant coach Manny Martins (2011-12).
Last Week ...
UCLA shut out 19th-ranked Pepperdine last Thursday, 1-0, on a penalty kick goal by Annie Alvarado with 51 seconds to play in regulation. The Bruin defense shut down the Waves, holding them to just three shots total and zero shots on goal.
Schechtman Earns Shutout in First Start
Redshirt freshman Arielle Schechtman earned a shutout in her first career start and second career game, facing three shots and handling the one corner kick that came her way against Pepperdine.
Tye Named Pac-12 Defender of the Week
Senior Madison Tye was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week after leading UCLA to a 1-0 shutout victory over 19th-ranked Pepperdine. Tye and the Bruin defense held the Waves to just three shots in the match, none of which were on goal. She played in all 90 minutes of the contest and has logged a team-best 724 (out of 732) minutes this year. The Pac-12 honor is the first of Tye's career and the second for UCLA this season. Gabbi Miranda previously won on Sept. 1. UCLA now has a conference-record 52 Player of the Week honors.
Alvarado Selected to Team of the Week
Junior midfielder Annie Alvarado was selected to Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week after scoring the game-winning penalty kick against No. 19 Pepperdine. Alvarado's winning kick came with just 51 seconds left in regulation and was her first goal of the season and second of her career. Both of her career goals have been game-winners.
Bruins Earn NSCAA Team Academic Award
For the fourth-straight year, UCLA has earned a NSCAA Team Academic Award. The Bruins earned the first NSCAA Team Academic Award in school history for the 2011-12 campaign and have won it every year since. The 2014-15 Bruins posted a 3.03 team GPA to receive the distinction.
Spread Offense
Seven different UCLA players have scored the Bruins' nine goals this season. Taylor Smith and Lauren Kaskie have two goals apiece, while Darian Jenkins, Gabbi Miranda, Amber Munerlyn, Kodi Lavrusky and Annie Alvarado have one each. Alvarado is the team's assist leader with two. Four players each have one assist - Smith, Munerlyn, Hailie Mace, and Zoey Goralski.
First-Timers
Redshirt freshman defender Reema Bzeih became the latest Bruin to make her collegiate debut, playing a strong 33 minutes in the second half against Pepperdine. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Arielle Schechtman started for the first time in her career against the Waves and earned a shutout. In the week prior, Courtney Proctor earned her first start of the season and has started the last three games for the Bruins. Claire Winter also saw her first action of the season at Wake Forest and North Carolina and played in a career-best 57 minutes against Pepperdine.
Of the 17 players who have earned at least one start this year, eight are first-year starters (Hailie Mace, Zoey Goralski, MacKenzie Cerda, Madison Tye, Gabrielle Matulich, Belden Long, Cassie Sternbach and Arielle Schechtman).
New-Look Bruins
UCLA returns two starters from last season's historic team - forward Taylor Smith and midfielder Annie Alvarado. Smith started all 24 games last year and ranked third on the team in scoring with 24 points (9g, 6a). Alvarado started in 23 of 24 games (missing only on Senior Day) and recorded a goal (the game-winner against Stanford) and two assists.
The Bruins are not, however, without a large group of experienced players. Nine of this year's team members played in at least 15 games last year - Smith, Alvarado, Darian Jenkins, Zoey Goralski, Kodi Lavrusky, MacKenzie Cerda, Gabbi Miranda, Lauren Kaskie and Kristiana Konkol-Mroczkowski. Additionally, Courtney Proctor, who played in 24 games in 2013, returns after missing most 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.
Seven of the Bruin starters last year are now playing professionally (Abby Dahlkemper, Caprice Dydasco, Sarah Killion, Sam Mewis, Megan Oyster and Katelyn Rowland in the NWSL and Rosie White in the FA WSL).
Pac-12 Attendance Leaders
UCLA leads all conference teams in home attendance, averaging 1,227 fans per game. The Bruins also lead in overall attendance average, with an average of 1,516 fans coming out to see UCLA each game.
Looking Ahead
UCLA travels to Washington next week for its first conference road trip. The Bruins will face Washington on Thursday, Oct. 1 and Washington State on Sunday, Oct. 4. Both matches will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.
Crosstown Rivalry Comes to Westwood
The annual crosstown matchup between UCLA and USC comes to Westwood this season, on Nov. 6. With over 10,000 fans attending last year's matchup, this rivalry is not one to be missed! Tickets are on sale now at uclabruins.com/tickets.
UCLA won last year's game at the Coliseum, 2-0, and clinched the Pac-12 title outright thanks to a pair of late goals by Kylie McCarthy.