UCLA
Stanford
Women's Soccer Hosts Pair of Top-20 Matches
October 25, 2017 | Women's Soccer
No. 1 Stanford (15-1-0, 8-0-0) at No. 6 UCLA (13-1-2, 6-1-1)
Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017 โ 7:30 p.m. (PT)
Los Angeles, Calif. (Drake Stadium)
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Drake Stadium (11,000)
Kickoff Time: 7:30 p.m. PT
TV Broadcast: Pac-12 Networks
TV Talent: Jim Watson, Aly Wagner
Live Stats: UCLALiveStats.com
Audio Broadcast: uclabruins.com
Audio Talent: Nick Koop
Tickets: $8 adults / $5 youth 12 and under
Giveaway: Free Pizza for UCLA students
No. 16 California (13-2-1, 6-1-1) at No. 6 UCLA (13-1-2, 6-1-1)
Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017 โ 1 p.m. (PT)
Los Angeles, Calif. (Drake Stadium)
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Drake Stadium (11,000)
Kickoff Time: 7:30 p.m. PT
TV Broadcast: Pac-12 Networks
TV Talent: Jim Watson, Tracey Bailey
Live Stats: UCLALiveStats.com
Audio Broadcast: uclabruins.com
Audio Talent: Nick Koop
Tickets: $8 adults / $5 youth 12 and under
BRUINS KICK OFF THREE-GAME HOMESTAND TO END REGULAR SEASON
Sixth-ranked UCLA (13-1-2, 6-1-1 in the Pac-12) begins a three-game homestand to finish the regular season this week, starting on Thursday, Oct. 26 against top-ranked Stanford at 7:30 p.m. PT. The Bruins will take on No. 16 California on Sunday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. PT. Both matches will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks and are a part of doubleheaders at Drake Stadium with the UCLA men's soccer teams.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
UCLA remains in the Top 10, checking in at No. 6. The Bruins dropped two spots in the national poll after a 1-0 loss, their first of the season, at Washington State Oct. 19. The Bruins spent six weeks at No. 1 from September to October.
UNBEATEN STREAK ENDS
The Bruins' 18-game unbeaten streak came to an end on Oct. 19 when they dropped its first game of the season, 1-0 at Washington. UCLA rebounded three days later, downing Washington 3-0 on the road.
CROMWELL SECURES 300
UCLA head coach Amanda Cromwell earned her 300th career victory against Arizona State on Oct. 5. The native of Annandale, Va. is in her sixth season at UCLA and has picked up 78 wins with the Bruins, including the 2013 national championship. Before coming to Westwood, she spent 14 seasons at Central Florida, where she collected 203 victories, and also coached at UMBC for two years, where she totaled 20 wins. Cromwell currently ranks among the top-25 winningest active coaches and the top-30 all-time winningest coaches in NCAA history.
MIDSEASON HONORS
UCLA had a total of nine players honored by Top Drawer Soccer on its Top 100 Midseason list. Sophomore Jessie Fleming earned the number one overall spot after being ranked No. 4 during the preseason. Junior Hailie Mace went from unranked to inside the top-10 earning the No. 8 ranking, while sophomore Kaiya McCullough came in at No. 61 and Anika Rodriguez landed at No. 89. Five freshmen earned Midseason freshman honors with three in the top 10 - Ashley Sanchez (No. 2), Delanie Sheehan (No. 4) and Karina Rodriguez (No. 10). Viviana Villacorta earned the No. 60 ranking, and Olivia Athens came in at No. 77.
MACE SETS THE PACE
Junior forward Hailie Mace continues to pace UCLA in the scoring column, leading the Pac-12 goals (13), and the team in points (29), both career-high totals for the former defender. On Aug. 24, Mace recorded a first half hat trick, the 26th hat trick in UCLA women's soccer history, in the 4-2 win over Santa Clara. She also added a brace against Oregon State, scoring two goals in just over six minutes and against Arizona State. Mace ranks 21st in the NCAA in game-winning goals (4).
RODRIGUEZ IS ROLLING
Sophomore Anika Rodriguez has been on a scoring tear, having scored or recorded an assist in five of the last eight games. She tallied three points in both road matches in Arizona and has totaled 11 points in conference play, second in the Pac-12 behind only teammate Hailie Mace. Rodriguez is fourth on the team in points with 14 and is tops in Pac-12 play with five assists and 0.63 assists per game.
SANCHEZ STEALS SHOW
Freshman Ashley Sanchez has established herself as one of the top freshmen in the nation. At Virginia on Sept. 7, she scored the game's first goal and assisted on the game-winner and was subsequently named Top Drawer Soccer National Player of the Week, and at Colorado on Sept. 22, she scored the game-winner and assisted on the second goal. Sanchez ranks second on the team in points with 16 and is second in the Pac-12 with eight assists and 14th in the nation in assists per game with 0.53.
HIGH FIVE FOR HERNANDEZ
Junior forward Julia Hernandez ranks second on the team in goals (five) and fourth in points (10). Hernandez has scored her five goals in just 351 minutes of play, an average of one goal per 70 minutes.
MICAH HITS CENTURY MARK
Sophomore goalkeeper Teagan Micah surpassed the century mark for career saves and now has 129 in her career. She posted a season-best six saves in the Bruins' shutout win at BYU and four in the win at Virginia, including a huge stop in the final minute to prevent overtime. Micah has recorded six shutouts this season and has 15 in her brief Bruin career, tied for seventh all-time at UCLA.
SETTING CAREER HIGHS
A number of Bruins have already set career-highs this season. Junior Hailie Mace did not score a goal coming into this season and already has 13 and has also tied her career-high with three assists. Sophomore Julia Hernandez netted just one goal in her first season in Westwood in 2016 but now has five. Jessie Fleming's seven assists this season are a career-high. Also, Gabrielle Matulich has set a career-best in points with eight, surpassing her three points from last year, while MacKenzie Cerda has tied a career-high with seven points.
FRESH FACES
UCLA's freshman class has made a big impact, with seven freshmen earning starting positions in at least one game so far this season. Karina Rodriguez has started in 15 games, and Ashley Sanchez has 14 starts. Delanie Sheehan has 10 starts, Viviana Villacorta eight, Olivia Athens three, and Marley Canales and Kennedy Faulknor one each. Sanchez ranks second on the team in scoring with 16 points and is first in assists with eight. She and Sheehan have each scored four goals apiece, and Athens and Villacorta each have three assists. Rodriguez is second among field players with 1246 minutes played. Additionally, Canales has played in 10 games, and Faulknor made her UCLA debut in a starting role at Weber State and has played in five games.
SUPER SENIORS
With an underclassman-heavy squad and just eight upperclassmen, the Bruins are leaning on the experience of the senior class, particularly fifth-year seniors Zoey Goralski and Claire Winter. The duo, who are the last remaining players from UCLA's 2013 NCAA Championship team, serve as team co-captains, along with Jessie Fleming. Both Goralski and Winter have played in every game, with Goralski earning 14 starts and Winter nine.
SCOUTING THE CARDINAL
Top-ranked Stanford comes into Thursday's match with a perfect 8-0-0 record during Pac-12 play this season. The Cardinal are No. 1 in the NCAA in scoring offence (4.06), shots on goal per game (11.69), assists per game (3.88) and points per game (12.00), while also showcasing the fourth-best goals-against avergae in the country at 0.313. Kyra Carusa and Catarina Macario are tied for the team-lead and rank 11th in the nation with 12 goals with Carusa also ranking third in pointes per game (2.06). Goalkeeper Lauren Rood is second in the NCAA in goals-against average (0.125) and save percentage (.923).
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS
California is No. 16 in the United Soccer Coaches poll for the second-consecutive week and are 13-2-1 overall and 6-1-1 during conference play. Abi Kim has seven goals this season to lead the Cal offense, including a team-best three during Pac-12 play, followed by Miranda Nild with 13 points (6g, 1a). The Golden Bears have one of the best backlines in the NCAA as they have posted 10 shutouts this season and have allowed only six goals. Emily Boyd is seventh in the country in goals-against average at 0.367 and fourth in shutouts.
LAST WEEK'S ROUNDUP
The Bruins had its 18-match unbeaten streak snapped last week with a 1-0 loss at Washington State on Thursday. UCLA bounced back with a 3-0 victory at Washington as Jessie Fleming scored the opening goal of the match, followed by Hailie Mace picking up her team-best 13th goal of the season and Ashley Sanchez scoring a goal and picking up an assist on the Mace goal.
BRUINS EARN TEAM ACADEMIC AWARD
The UCLA women's soccer team is earning high distinctions both on and off the field. The unbeaten Bruins have received the United Soccer Coaches College Women's Team Academic Award for the sixth consecutive year, posting a 3.35 team GPA. Additionally, the team was announced as the winner of the UCLA Athletics Most Improved Team GPA Award for large teams and was also the runner-up for the Highest Team GPA Award. College Team Academic Award recipients are active members of the United Soccer Coaches College Services Program with a composite grade point of average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale for all players on the roster.
FLEMING HEADS MAC HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST
Sophomore midfielder Jessie Fleming has been selected to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List for 2017. The MAC Hermann Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in college soccer and is presented annually to the most outstanding male and female players of the year. Fleming, a member of the full Canadian Women's National Team since 2013, was one of just two freshmen to receive All-America honors last season, being selected to the NSCAA All-America third team after leading UCLA in goals (11) and points (27). In her first game as a Bruin, less than 10 days after winning a bronze medal at the Olympic Games with Team Canada, she scored two goals, and she went on to score a goal in each of her first four games. Fleming was selected the Top Drawer Soccer Freshman of the Year.
NATIONAL TEAMS
UCLA has a plethora of national team players on its 2017 squad, including four who have earned call-ups to the full national team - Fleming (Canada), Teagan Micah (Australia) and freshmen Ashley Sanchez (U.S.) and Kennedy Faulknor (Canada). Three played with the U.S. U-23 National Team in July - Sanchez, Zoey Goralski and Hailie Mace. Karina Rodriguez and Viviana Villacorta have played with the Under-20s this year, and Kaiya McCullough and Delanie Sheehan have played with the Under-19s in 2017. Eleven more Bruins have played with various U.S. Youth National Teams in their career - Olivia Athens (U-18), Lauren Brzykcy (U-17), Marley Canales (2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup), Chloe Castaneda (U-17), MacKenzie Cerda (U-18), Sunny Dunphy (U-19), Chloe Hemingway (U-18), Gabrielle Matulich (U-20), Jacey Pederson (U-19), Anika Rodriguez (U-17), and Claire Winter (U-15). In addition, Siri Ervik played with the Norwegian U-19 National Team, and Julia Hernandez played with the Spanish U-17 National Team.
PAC DRAKE
UCLA will attempt to break the NCAA women's soccer attendance record on Friday, Nov. 3 when it hosts crosstown rival USC at Drake Stadium. The national record is 10,128, which was set in 2014 during UCLA's 2-0 win over USC in the Los Angeles Coliseum. The last three meetings between the two schools have averaged over 8,200 fans. Tickets for the match are on sale for just $1 at uclabruins.com/tickets.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Bruins will play its regular-season finale on Friday, Nov. 3 against crosstown rival USC at Drake Stadium. Friday will be Senior Day for UCLA's six graduating seniors. The match will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
