UCLA Hosts Princeton in NCAA Quarterfinals
November 22, 2017 | Women's Soccer
No. 2 Seed UCLA (18-2-2) vs. Princeton (16-2-1)
Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017 โ 5:30 p.m. (PT)
Los Angeles, Calif. (Marshall Field at Drake Stadium)
GAME INFORMATION
Internet Video: pac-12.com/live/ucla
Internet Radio: uclabruins.com
Radio Talent: Nick Koop
Live Stats: uclalivestats.com
Tickets: $10 adults / $8 youth and students
NO. 2 SEED UCLA HOSTS PRINCETON IN NCAA QUARTERFINAL ROUND
No. 2-seeded and No. 4-ranked UCLA (18-2-2) will host Ivy League champion Princeton (18-2-2) in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 25 at Marshall Field at Drake Stadium. The match will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will be live streamed on pac-12.com. The winner of the match will move on to the NCAA College Cup in Orlando, Fla. Dec. 1 and 3.
UCLA'S NCAA HISTORY
The Bruins are making their 21st overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and 14th quarterfinal appearance. UCLA has a 60-17-4 all-time NCAA Tournament record and a 9-4 record in quarterfinal action. The Bruins advanced to the Round of 16 in their last tournament appearance in 2016, falling in penalty kicks in icy conditions at West Virginia. UCLA won its only NCAA Championship in 2013 and is seeking its 10th College Cup appearance with a win Saturday.
UCLA's seeding history and results in its 20 previous NCAA Tournament appearances coming into this year are below:
1995 - First Round (L to Washington, 2-1)
1997 - Quarterfinals (L at Notre Dame, 8-0)
1998 - Second Round (L to BYU, 2-0)
1999 - Rd. of 16 (L at Santa Clara, 7-0)
2000 - #6 seed, Final (L to North Carolina, 2-1)
2001 - #3 seed, Quarterfinals (L to Florida, 1-0 2OT)
2002 - #7 seed, Rd. of 16 (T Texas A&M 0-0, lost 3-1 in PKs)
2003 - #4 seed, Semifinals (L to North Carolina, 3-0)
2004 - #14 seed, Final (L to Notre Dame, 1-1 PKs)
2005 - #1 seed Final (L to Portland, 4-0)
2006 - #2 seed, Semifinals (L to North Carolina, 2-0)
2007 - #1 seed, Semifinals (L to USC, 2-1)
2008 - #1 seed, Semifinals (L to North Carolina, 1-0)
2009 - #1 seed, Semifinals (L to Stanford, 2-1)
2010 - Rd. of 16 (L at Stanford, 3-0)
2011 - #2 seed, Second Round (T San Diego, 1-1, lost 3-4 in PKs)
2012 - #3 seed, Quarterfinals (L at Stanford, 2-1)
2013 - #2 seed, Champions (W vs. Florida State, 1-0, ot)
2014 - #1 seed, Quarterfinals (L vs. Virginia, 2-1)
2016 - #4 seed, Rd. of 16 (T West Virginia 1-1, lost 2-4 in PKs)
UCLA AGAINST THE NCAA FIELD
UCLA posted a 6-2-2 regular season record against members of the 64-team NCAA Tournament field. The Bruins have wins over San Diego State (5-1), Santa Clara (4-2), Virginia (2-1), Colorado (2-0), California (1-0) and USC (3-2, OT). UCLA's only non-victories this year have come against NCAA Tournament teams - ties against Pepperdine (1-1) and Arizona (2-2) and losses to Washington State (1-0) and Stanford (1-0).
LAST WEEK'S ROUNDUP
UCLA earned a pair of dramatic victories last week to advance to its fourth NCAA Tournament quarterfinal in six seasons. The Bruins earned a 1-0 overtime victory over Northwestern on Friday before defeating No. 11 Virginia 2-1 on Sunday. Anika Rodriguez scored the golden goal against Northwestern when she received a pass from Ashley Sanchez in the penalty area in the third minute of OT for the lone goal. UCLA held a 28-2 advantage in shots against the Wildcats. Sunday's Round of 16 game started quickly as a UCLA own goal and a Jessie Fleming penalty kick made it 1-1 in the sixth minute. After a back-and-forth game Sanchez and Rodriguez connected again with Sanchez forcing a turnover and slotting a ball in the box for Rodriguez's second game-winner of the weekend.
RODRIGUEZ, SANCHEZ HONORED
The dynamic duo of Anika Rodriguez and Ashley Sanchez were selected by Top Drawer Soccer for the Team of the Week. Sanchez assisted Rodriguez on both late game-winning goals last week, the golden goal against Northwestern in the second round and an 89th minute goal against Virginia. Rodriguez was also selected the UCLA/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week for the second time this season.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
UCLA moved up another spot to No. 4 in the final regular season ranking by the United Soccer Coaches. The Bruins spent six weeks at No. 1 from late August to October. UCLA is ranked No. 2 by Top Drawer Soccer and No. 4 by Soccer America.
DRAKE PAC-ED
UCLA set a new NCAA women's soccer regular season attendance record on Nov. 3 when 11,925 fans packed Drake Stadium to see the Bruins beat USC, 3-2 in overtime. The attendance mark broke the previous record set in 2014 when 10,128 fans came to the Los Angeles Coliseum to see UCLA defeat USC, 2-0, and was the most-attended women's soccer game on a college campus in the sport's history. The top four most-attended regular season women's soccer games have all been UCLA vs. USC games.
NCAA Women's Soccer Regular Season Single-Game Attendance Records
1) 11,925 - Nov. 3, 2017, USC at UCLA (Drake Stadium)
2) 10,128 - Nov. 7, 2014, UCLA at USC (Los Angeles Coliseum)
3) 8,527 - Oct. 22, 2010, UCLA at USC (Los Angeles Coliseum)
4) 8,508 - Nov. 4, 2016, UCLA vs. USC (StubHub Center)
NCAA Women's Soccer Single-Game Attendance Records (All Games)
1) 14,410 - Dec. 5, 1999, UNC vs. Notre Dame, NCAA Final (San Jose, Calif.)
2) 14,013 - Dec. 3, 1999, UNC vs. Penn State, Notre Dame vs. Santa Clara, NCAA Semifinal (San Jose, Calif.)
3) 11,925 - Nov. 3, 2017, USC at UCLA (Drake Stadium)
BRUINS RANK SECOND NATIONALLY IN ATTENDANCE
UCLA ended the regular season ranked second in the nation in average home attendance this season, bringing in an average of 2,984 fans. The average was just 22 off the national leader BYU, who finished the year with an average attendance of 3,006.
UCLA Women's Soccer- Single-Game Home Attendance
1) 11,925 - Nov. 3, 2017 vs. USC
2) 6,254 - Nov. 6, 2015 vs. USC
3) 4,068 - Oct. 28, 2012 vs. Stanford
4) 3,941 - Oct. 1, 2017 vs. Oregon State
SIX BRUINS EARN PAC-12 POSTSEASON HONORS
A total of six Bruins received Pac-12 women's soccer postseason awards, led by first-team All-Pac-12 honorees Jessie Fleming, Hailie Mace and Ashley Sanchez. Also receiving All-Pac-12 honors were Kaiya McCullough (second team) and MacKenzie Cerda (third team). Sanchez and Delanie Sheehan were selected to the All-Freshman team.
THREE UCLA PLAYERS RECEIVE ACADEMIC HONORS
Three Bruins earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors this week as junior forward Julia Hernandez was named to the first team and is eligible for Academic All-America consideration, while sophomore forward Sunny Dunphy and sophomore defender Kaiya McCullough were selected to the all-district second team.
CROMWELL SECURES 300
UCLA head coach Amanda Cromwell earned her 300th career victory against Arizona State on Oct. 5 and now has 307 and counting. The native of Annandale, Va. is in her sixth season at UCLA and has picked up 84 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.
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 (23) and third in goals scored (6) and is fifth nationally in assists with 11. Sanchez has set a UCLA freshman record with 11 assists, besting the previous record of nine set by Staci Duncan in 1998. Sanchez also moved into seventh on the school list for single-season assists,tied with Lauren Cheney (2007) and Stephanie Rigamat (2000).
RODRIGUEZ ROLLING
Sophomore Anika Rodriguez saved her best play for the latter part of the season, scoring 20 of her 23 points during Pac-12 play and the NCAA Tournament. Her 14 points in conference games rank third in the conference, and her six assists in conference games are tied for the best in the Pac-12. She has registered one goal in each NCAA Tournament match this season and leads the team with six points. Rodriguez is tied for second on the team in points with 23 and second in goals with eight and third in assists with seven.
MACE SETS THE PACE
Junior forward Hailie Mace continues to pace UCLA in the scoring column, ranking second in the Pac-12 and 16th in the NCAA in goals (13), and leading the Bruins 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 has started in 59 consecutive games, earning her first career start on Sept. 6, 2015 against Texas and has started every game since. She has played in every game for the Bruins over the last three seasons.
FLEMING BACK FROM NATIONAL TEAM DUTY
Midfielder Jessie Fleming missed two games this season (Nov. 3 and 10) after being called into Canadian National Team duty for the team's two games against the U.S. National Team. The U.S. and Canada played each other on Nov. 9 in Vancouver to a 1-1 draw, and the U.S. won on Nov. 12 in San Jose, 3-1. Fleming wore the captain's armband for part of the Nov. 12 game and was called out by ESPN as the Player of the Game in the Nov. 9 contest. Fleming has played with the Full National Team since she was 15 years old and already has an Olympic bronze medal and a FIFA Women's World Cup appearance under her belt.
HIGH FIVE FOR HERNANDEZ
Junior forward Julia Hernandez ranks second on the team in goals with six and fifth in points with 12, all career-high numbers. Hernandez, a first-team Academic All-District player, has scored her six goals in just 518 minutes of play, an average of one goal per 86 minutes.
MICAH HITS CENTURY MARK
Sophomore goalkeeper Teagan Micah surpassed the century mark for career saves and now has 139 in her career, which rank sixth all-time at UCLA. She posted a season-best six saves twice this season (in the Bruins' shutout win at BYU and at Washington State). Micah has recorded eight shutouts this season and has 17 in her brief Bruin career, tied for fifth 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 six. Jessie Fleming's eight assists this season are a career-high. Anika Rodriguez has set new career-highs with eight goals and 23 points and tied her career-best with seven assists. Gabrielle Matulich has set a career-best in points with eight, surpassing her three points from last year, while MacKenzie Cerda has set a career-high with 10 points.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Princeton advanced to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Ivy League title for the second time in three years with a 6-1 record. The Tigers upset No. 1 seed North Carolina last week to advance to just its third NCAA Tournament quarterfinal in program history when Abby Givens score the golden goal in the final minute of overtime for a 2-1 victory. Princeton boasts the seventh-best goals-against average (0.414) and the 11th scoring offense (2.26) in the country this season. Goalkeeper Natalie Grossi is ninth in the country in shutouts (11) and 10th in GAA (0.437). Offensively, the Tigers are led by Givens leads the team in points (28) and goals (11), while Mimi Asom and Courtney O'Brien have surpassed the 20-point total this season.
NOTABLES
UCLA had an 18-game unbeaten streak come to an end on Oct. 19 when it dropped its first game of the year, 1-0 at Washington on Oct. 22 โฆ The Bruins won their first seven games of the season to record the program's longest winning streak to begin a year since the 2001 team won its first 11 games โฆ Julia Hernandez has scored three of her six career goals against San Diego State โฆ Hailie Mace and Kaiya McCullough are the only Bruins who have started in every game this season.
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 and Ashley Sanchez have each started in 20 games. Viviana Villacorta has 12 starts, Delanie Sheehan 10, Olivia Athens nine, and Marley Canales and Kennedy Faulknor one each. Sanchez ranks second on the team in scoring with 23 points and goals scored with six and is first in assists with 11. Sheehan ranks sixth on the team in points with 10 (4g, 2a), and Athens has four assists, while Villacorta has three assists. Rodriguez is third among field players with 1751 minutes played. Additionally, Canales has played in 11 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. Goralski has played in every game, earning 20 starts, and Winter has played in 19, with 11 starts.
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.
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.
