UCLA
Arizona
Women's Soccer Travels to Tucson Thursday
October 11, 2016 | Women's Soccer
#14 UCLA (9-3-1, 3-1-1) at Arizona (6-6-1, 1-4-0)
@Tucson, Ariz.
Thursday, Oct. 13 - 7 pm PT
TV: Pac-12 Network
Live Stats: arizonawildcats.com
Bruins Look to Remain Undefeated on the Road
No. 14 UCLA travels to Tucson, Ariz. on Thursday, Oct. 13 to face Arizona in a Pac-12 conference match. The Bruins are perfect on the road this season, holding a 5-0 record away from home.
Seven-Game Unbeaten Streak Snapped vs. Stanford
UCLA's seven-game unbeaten streak came to an end against Stanford on Sunday after the Bruins suffered a 3-2 double overtime loss to the top-ranked Cardinal. The Bruins are 7-1-1 in their last nine games and had a six-game winning streak from Sept. 11-Oct. 2. UCLA's three losses this year have all come to Top 10 teams - No. 6 Florida, No. 8 North Carolina and No. 1 Stanford.
In the Rankings
After going 0-1-1 last weekend against Top 15 opponents, the Bruins dipped sligthty in the national rankings. UCLA fell from 10th to 14th in the NSCAA poll and fell from seventh to 13th in the Soccer America poll. UCLA remained in the Top 10 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll at No. 9.
Pac-12 Leaders
UCLA leads the Pac-12 in assists (29), and assists per game (2.23) and ranks second in points (85) and third in goals (28) and goals per game (2.15). Jessie Fleming continues to lead the Pac-12 in points per game (1.70) and goals per game (0.80) and is tied for third in goals (8) and fourth in points (17). Anika Rodriguez is tsecond in the Pac-12 in assists (6) and assists per game (0.46). Darian Jenkins is tied for the Pac-12 lead in game-winning goals with five and tied with Fleming for fourth in points. Teagan Micah is tied for third in shutouts (6).
Jenkins Out for Season
Senior forward Darian Jenkins had her season cut short on Oct. 2 at Oregon when she suffered a fibula fracture of her left lower leg in the second half of the Bruins' 3-2 win over the Ducks. Jenkins was having an outstanding senior campaign, scoring a then-Pac-12 best seven goals, 17 points and five game-winning goals. She had started in all 11 games and recorded her first career hat trick in the first half of the Bruins' season opener at San Diego State. Jenkins finishes her UCLA career with 29 goals, 12 assists and 70 points, along with 14 game-winning goals, which rank tied for fifth in UCLA history. She remains a nominee for the Senior CLASS Award, which honors senior student-athletes for their achievements in the community, classroom, character and competition.
One or the Other
In 10 of UCLA's 13 games this season, either Darian Jenkins or Jessie Fleming (or both) have scored at least one goal for the Bruins. Fleming had a four-game scoring streak from Aug. 28 to Sept. 11, and Jenkins had a three-game scoring streak from Sept. 11-18. The only three games in which either player did not score were the Bruins' 1-0 win at Texas A&M on Aug. 26 and the Bruins' last two contests.
Multiple Weapons
Even with Jessie Fleming and Darian Jenkins totaling 15 goals between them, there have been a total of 10 Bruin players who have scored this season. Also seeing the back of the net have been three-goal scorer Amber Munerlyn, two-goal scorer Gabbi Miranda and single-goal scorers Anika Rodriguez, Annie Alvarado, Gabrielle Matulich, Julia Hernandez, Claire Winter, Chloe Castaneda and Courtney Proctor. Rodriguez has been the main provider for the Bruin goals with a team-high six assists. MacKenzie Cerda has contributed five assists to rank tied for third in the Pac-12.
About the Wildcats
Arizona began the season 5-1-1 but has since lost five of its last six games. Gabi Stoian leads the team in scoring with 13 points (4g, 5a), and Paige Crouch is the team leader in goals scored with five.
The Series with Arizona
The Bruins are 21-1 all-time against the Wildcats and have won 11 in a row in the series, including last year's 5-1 win in Westwood. Five different bruins scored in that contest, including Amber Munerlyn, who had the game-winner, Annie Alvarado and Claire Winter. Zoey Goralski had two assists in the contest. UCLA has outscored Arizona 21-4 in the last five matchups, including 11-1 over the last two seasons. Arizona's lone win came in 2004, 1-0 in Tucson.
Last Time Out
For the second consecutive game, No. 10 UCLA received late-game heroics to send the game to overtime, but the Bruins were unable to get the result this time, falling to No. 1 Stanford, 3-2 in double overtime. Jessie Fleming scored the game-tying goal in the 86th minute, her team-leading eighth of the season. The Bruins nearly scored on two different occasions in the first overtime period, but it was Maddie Bauer who earned the game-winner in the 103rd minute for the Cardinal. Amber Munerlyn got UCLA on the board first in the 12th minute, but Stanford equalized in the 13th and scored the go-ahead goal in the 63rd minute.
Bruin Strong
Four Bruins have logged over 1100 of 1216 minutes of playing time in the team's 13 games this season. Goalkeeper Teagan Micah has played in all 1216 minutes, while defenders Kaiya McCullough (1128), Zoey Goralski (1125) and Hailie Mace (1121) have each played over 1100 minutes.
Fresh Faces
Only four players have started in all 13 games this season, and three of them are freshmen - goalkeeper Teagan Micah, defender Kaiya McCullough and midfielder Anika Rodriguez. The fourth is sophomore Hailie Mace. Three other newcomers have earned starts this season - sophomore transfer Julia Hernandez, redshirt freshman Chloe Castaneda and freshmen Jacey Pederson and Sunny Dunphy.
Proctor Returns to Pitch
Sixth-year senior Courtney Proctor made her season debut on Sept. 16, playing five minutes at Pepperdine and has played in every game since. She earned her first start of the season against California and played in a season-high 87 minutes. Proctor's minutes were well-earned, as she scored the tying goal with 53 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime. The goal was her first since the 2013 season. Proctor began her career at UCLA in 2011, redshirted due to a torn ACL in 2012, played 24 games during UCLA's NCAA championship year in 2013 then played just six games in 2014 due to injury. She was granted a redshirt exception after the 2015 season and came back for her sixth season this year.
Freshman Four in TDS Top 40
Four UCLA Bruins are ranked in the Top 40 of Top Drawer Soccer's midseason Top 100 freshman list, including top-ranked Jessie Fleming. UCLA is the only school with two freshmen in the Top 10, as forward/midfielder Anika Rodriguez joins Fleming in the Top 10 at No. 7. Defender Kaiya McCullough ranks 27th, and goalkeeper Teagan Micah ranks 40th. Rodriguez, McCullough and Micah have started every game for the Bruins. Fleming is tied for the team lead in goals scored with seven in nine games.
#LaurenStrong
The Bruins debuted new warmup shirts to support UCLA alumna Lauren Holiday, who was recently diagnosed with an operable brain tumor. UCLA's shirt has the hashtag #LaurenStrong on the front. On the back is her last name with the number 8, which she wore at UCLA.
Hot Ticket
UCLA ranks 10th in the nation and first in the Pac-12 in home attendance with a season average of 1,458. A season-high 2,629 fans were in attendance on Sunday against Stanford. Drake Stadium will be host to two more regular season games - Oct. 20 vs. Washington and Oct. 23 vs. Washington State.
Crosstown Showdown Moved to StubHub Center
The highly-anticipated Nov. 4 crosstown showdown between UCLA and USC has been moved from McAlister Field on the USC campus to the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. The match will kick off at 7:00 pm and will be televised live on Pac-12 Network. Both teams are currently ranked in the Top 15. The series between the two teams has averaged over 8,000 fans in the last two years, with an NCAA record 10,128 on hand at the Coliseum in 2014 to see the Bruins defeat the Trojans, 2-0, to capture the Pac-12 title outright.
Five UCLA Alumnae Win NWSL Title
UCLA soccer alumnae Abby Dahlkemper, Sam Mewis, Katelyn Rowland, Taylor Smith and McCall Zerboni helped the Western New York Flash win its first-ever National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) title. The Flash defeated the Washington Spirit, 3-2, after a penalty shootout. Dahlkemper, Mewis, Rowland and Smith were integral players on UCLA's 2013 NCAA Championship team and teamed up three years later to win another national title. Mewis scored a goal in regulation, and Dahlkemper converted the first penalty kick of the shootout. The two started the contest, along with Zerboni. Rowland won her second consecutive NWSL title, after having been a member of the 2015 championship squad from FC Kansas City. Zerboni won her third professional national title with the Flash, having previously won the Women's Professional Soccer title in 2011 and the Women's Premier Soccer League Elite title in 2012. The runner-up Washington Spirit squad had two Bruins in the starting lineup - Megan Oyster and Caprice Dydasco. This is the third consecutive year that UCLA alumnae have won the NWSL Championship. FC Kansas City's 2015 team featured Lauren Holiday and Katelyn Rowland, and their 2014 championship team had Holiday and Jenna Richmond.
From UCLA to USA
Freshman Marley Canales, who is redshirting the 2016 season, is currently in U.S. Under-20 National Team training camp in Florida, along with signee Mal Pugh, in preparation for next month's FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup. On the full national team side, alumnae Abby Dahlkemper and Sam Mewis were called up for the team's training camp ahead of friendlies against Switzerland this month. This is Dahlkemper's first full team call-up.
Looking Ahead
The Bruins will host its final regular season matches of the season on Oct. 20 vs. Washington and Oct. 23 vs. Washington State. Both games are doubleheaders with the UCLA men's soccer team.
Alumni Weekend
UCLA Soccer will host a Fall Alumni Weekend for both men's and women's alumni on Oct. 20-23. The weekend activities include a ticket to the UCLA Football Homecoming game on Oct. 22, halftime recognition at the Oct. 23 games, a men's alumni game, a postgame clinic after the women's game, and a barbeque. Alumni seeking more information can contact assistant coaches Phil Marfuggi or Louise Lieberman.
