UCLA
North Carolina (Quarterfinals)
UCLA Travels To North Carolina for NCAA Quarterfinals
November 21, 2018 | Women's Soccer
No. 2 Seed UCLA (17-3-1) at No. 1 Seed North Carolina (20-3-1)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018 โ 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT
Location: Cary, NC (WakeMed Soccer Park)
Telecast: ACC Network Extra
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com
Talent: Kyle Straub, Brian Waer
Live Stats: ncaa.com
Tickets: $10 adults, $5 students/seniors (goheels.com)
UCLA, UNC CLASH IN QUARTERFINALS IN CARY
No. 2 seed and No. 4-ranked UCLA (17-3-1) will travel to No. 1 seed and No. 3-ranked North Carolina (20-3-1) in a NCAA Quarterfinal matchup in Cary, N.C. on Saturday, Nov. 24 at 5pm ET. The winner will move on to the College Cup, which will also take place in Cary. The match will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN.
OFFENSIVE SHOWDOWN
UCLA and North Carolina rank 1-2 in the nation in total points, with the Bruins recording 178 points in 21 games and the Tar Heels scoring 177 in 24 games. UCLA's 8.48 points per game also leads the nation. The Bruins are tied with Stanford for the national lead in goals scored with 59. Ashley Sanchez leads UCLA in scoring with 34 points (10g, 14a). Brianna Pinto leads the Tar Heels with 20 points (6g, 8a). UCLA has nine players in double-figure scoring, while UNC has eight.
2013 VIBES
The UCLA-UNC matchup is a repeat of the 2013 NCAA quarterfinal matchup, which UCLA won in overtime, 1-0. Taylor Smith scored the game-winner on a breakaway in the 102nd minute, giving the Bruins their first-ever win against the Tar Heels. The Bruins went on to win the NCAA title in Cary, the first championship in program history. UCLA shut out its first four opponents in the NCAA Tournament that year and allowed just one goal throughout its tournament run.
ON A ROLL
UCLA has won 12 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the nation and the longest streak by a Bruin team since the 2014 team won 13 in a row. During the streak, UCLA has outscored its opponents by a 44-6 margin. Forward Ashley Sanchez has played a massive role in the streak, recording a goal or assist in each of those 12 games (8g, 11a) to tie the school record for consecutive games with a point. Additionally, the Bruins have been aided by the return of national team players Hailie Mace and Jessie Fleming from World Cup qualifying. In the seven games since their return, UCLA has scored 31 goals. The Bruins are far from just a three-headed monster, however. A total of 15 different players have scored a goal, and eight different players have scored the game-winning goal during the winning streak. The Bruin defense has stepped up big as well, recording seven shutouts and a 0.49 goals against average in the 12 games and allowing just 36 shots on goal (3.0 average) on 88 shot attempts (7.3 average).
SANCHEZ SETS FOUR SCHOOL RECORDS IN ONE WEEKEND, EYES ANOTHER THIS WEEK
Sophomore Ashley Sanchez had a record-setting weekend, setting or tying four school records in the Bruins' NCAA second and third round wins. She set a new standard for assists in a single-game with four against Minnesota in the NCAA second round. Two days later, in the third round, she tied Traci Arkenberg's school mark for consecutive games with a goal or assist with 12, tied Lauren Cheney's school record for career NCAA Tournament assists with 10, and set a new UCLA record for most assists in a NCAA Tournament with six. Sanchez is taking aim at another record, as she is one away from tying the school record for single-season assists (15, held by Iris Mora in 2005). Sanchez's 34 points are the most by a Bruin since Sam Mewis scored 45 in 2014.
MILESTONE AHEAD FOR MICAH
Junior goalkeeper Teagan Micah is just five saves away from becoming just the fourth goalkeeper in UCLA history to record 200 career saves. She has 195 saves, seven away from catching Katelyn Rowland, who recorded 202 to rank third all-time in UCLA history. Micah moved into a tie for fourth on the career shutouts list with her 26th career shutout on Sunday against NC State and moved into fourth on the career wins list with 46.
NOTABLES
UCLA's six goals against Oregon State on Oct. 21 were the most it has scored in a game since dropping seven on Harvard in the 2014 NCAA Second Round โฆ The 11 goals scored in UCLA's games against Oregon State and Utah were the most in a two-game span since scoring 12 in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament in 2014 (5-0 vs. San Diego, 7-0 vs. Harvard) โฆ The 15 goals scored in the last three games are the most in a three-game span since the 2011 team scored 16 goals in three games (6-1 vs. Arizona, 2-0 vs. Arizona State and 8-0 at Colorado) โฆ UCLA has scored a goal in the first eight minutes of the game seven times this season. The quickest goal scored by the Bruins this season was by Maricarmen Reyes at 1:15 against Arizona State โฆ Sunny Dunphy has played in 63 consecutive games โฆ Kaiya McCullough has made 52 consecutive starts.
MAINSTAYS
Thanks to national team assignments, injuries and illness, only two players have started every game this season - defenders Kaiya McCullough and Karina Rodriguez. Delanie Sheehan started the first 16 games of the year but had to sit out the Colorado game due to illness. In addition to McCullough and Rodriguez, six other Bruins have played in all 21 games - Chloe Castaneda, Kennedy Faulknor, Olivia Athens, Julia Hernandez, Sunny Dunphy and Viviana Villacorta. Rodriguez leads the team with 1868 minutes played out of 1925, followed by McCullough with 1766. Viviana Villacorta ranks third with 1641 minutes, Ashley Sanchez has 1579, and Sheehan has 1515.
UCLA has utilized 16 different starting lineups in 21 games this year, with only two repeating lineups. Lauren Brzykcy, Delanie Sheehan, Karina Rodriguez, Kaiya McCullough, Sunny Dunphy, Viviana Villacorta, Olivia Athens, Maricarmen Reyes, Ashley Sanchez, Chloe Castaneda and Anika Rodriguez started in three-straight at Stanford, at Cal and vs. ASU, going 2-1. And the Bruins' starting lineup in each of the NCAA tournament games (Teagan Micah, Hailie Mace, Karina Rodriguez, Kaiya McCullough, Delanie Sheehan, Viviana Villacorta, Marley Canales, Olivia Athens, Jessie Fleming, Chloe Castaneda and Ashley Sanchez) also started at Utah and is 4-0, outscoring opponents 20-1.
ABOUT THE TAR HEELS
North Carolina enters Saturday's game with a 20-3-1 record and has outscored opponents 11-1 in their three tournament games. Seventeen different players have scored goals for the Tar Heels, led by Brianna Pinto, who has scored six goals with eight assists. ACC Offensive Player of the Year Alessia Russo also scored six goals before suffering a season-ending injury on Oct. 25. Defensively, North Carolina is led by Emily Fox, who earned her first start with the U.S. Women's Naitional Team earlier this month, and U.S. Under-23 National Team player Julia Ashley. Pinto and Fox were teammates with UCLA's Ashley Sanchez and Viviana Villacorta at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.
CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE
Both UCLA and North Carolina have strong history in the NCAA Championships. UCLA has one NCAA Championship - in 2013 - and has played in the College Cup 10 times, including last season. North Carolina is the winningest program in NCAA women's soccer history with 21 NCAA titles, most recently in 2012.
UCLA'S NCAA HISTORY
The Bruins are making their 22nd overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA has a 64-18-4 all-time NCAA Tournament record and has advanced to the quarterfinals or beyond in five of the last six seasons, including a finals berth in 2017 and a championship victory in 2013. This is UCLA's second-straight quarterfinal appearance.
UCLA AGAINST THE NCAA FIELD
UCLA posted a 4-3 record against members of the 64-team NCAA Tournament field this season. The Bruins have wins over No. 4 seed USC (3-2 in 2OT) , Penn State (1-0), Arizona (2-1) and Long Beach State (1-0). UCLA's only losses this year have come against NCAA Tournament teams - No. 1 seeds Florida State (3-1) and Stanford (3-2) and Washington State (1-0).
CENTURY CLUB
UCLA head coach Amanda Cromwell earned her 100th win at UCLA with the Bruins' first round victory over San Jose State. Cromwell, who hit the 300 career win milestone in 2017, now has a 102-23-12 record in six season as the Bruins' head coach and is 325-121-39 in 22 years of coaching. She led UCLA to its first-ever NCAA Championship in her first year in Westwood, in 2013. Cromwell is one of just two UCLA women's soccer coaches ever to reach 100 career victories, joining current U.S. Women's National Team head coach Jill Ellis, who won 229 games over 12 years.
NINE BRUINS HONORED BY PAC-12
Seven UCLA women's soccer players were selected to the All-Pac-12 team, led by first-team All-Pac-12 honorees Jessie Fleming and Ashley Sanchez. Hailie Mace and Viviana Villacorta were named to the second team, and Anika Rodriguez, Karina Rodriguez and Delanie Sheehan earned third team acclaim. Additionally, Lauren Brzykcy and Maricarmen Reyes were named to the All-Freshman Team.
MULTIPLE WEAPONS
Fifteen different Bruin players have scored goals this season, led by Ashley Sanchez, who has 10; Hailie Mace, who has seven; and Jessie Fleming and Chloe Castaneda, who have five each. Olivia Athens, Delanie Sheehan, Anika Rodriguez, Viviana Villacorta and Julia Hernandez have each scored four goals. Kennedy Faulknor, Karina Rodriguez and Maricarmen Reyes have three each, and Marley Canales, Sunny Dunphy and Dani Satterwhite have one apiece.
NATIONAL TEAM BRUINS BACK
After missing nearly a month of the season while helping their respective countries qualify to the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup at the CONCACAF Women's Championship, first-team All-Americans Hailie Mace (U.S.) and Jessie Fleming (Canada) have returned to the Bruins. The duo returned to the pitch on Oct. 21 against Oregon State, playing together for the first time since Sept. 13 and for only the third time all year. UCLA is 9-0 in games in which the two have played together this year. Fleming was selected to the Best XI of the CONCACAF Tournament, starting in four games for the silver medalists. Against Panama in the semifinals, she scored a goal and was selected the Player of the Match in the 7-0 victory. Mace earned her first career USWNT start in a 5-0 win over Panama in group play, playing all 90 minutes.
FIRST ROUND RECAP
UCLA scored four goals in the first half and cruised to a 5-0 victory over San Jose State in the NCAA first round. The Bruins' stars shined, with Ashley Sanchez scoring two goals, Jessie Fleming recording one goal and two assists, and Hailie Mace adding two assists. Viviana Villacorta and Marley Canales also scored for UCLA, who outshot San Jose State, 24-2.
SECOND ROUND RECAP
Ashley Sanchez set a new school record with four assists in UCLA's 5-0 win over Minnesota in the second round. Chloe Castaneda's fourth-minute goal got the Bruins off to a quick start, and Olivia Athens, Hailie Mace, Julia Hernandez and Kennedy Faulknor also added goals in the victory. The Bruins outshot the Golden Gophers by a 21-4 count, and goalkeeper Teagan Micah made two saves while earning her seventh solo shutout of the year.
THIRD ROUND RECAP
Another game, another 5-0 victory. North Carolina State was the latest victim of the hungry Bruin offense, who totaled 26 shots to the Wolfpack's five. Jessie Fleming scored in the sixth and 22nd minutes to put UCLA ahead by two early, and Karina Rodriguez scored in the 42nd minute to give UCLA a 3-0 lead at halftime. Late goals by Chloe Castaneda and Hailie Mace provided the final margin.
WINNERS IN THE CLASSROOM
For the seventh consecutive year, UCLA was recognized as a winner of the United Soccer Coaches College Team Academic Award, which recognizes exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2017-18 academic year. The Bruins posted a 3.189 composite team GPA. Additionally, junior Sunny Dunphy and senior Julia Hernandez were selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team for the second consecutive year. Dunphy holds a 3.78 GPA in Physiological Science, while Hernandez has a 3.81 GPA in Applied Mathematics.
MACE FINALIST FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Senior forward/defender Hailie Mace is one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, which is awarded to a senior student-athlete who has notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The winner will be announced the Women's College Cup in December. Mace is the only returning first-team All-American on the nominee list. In 2017, she scored a team-best and career-high 15 goals and 33 points. This season, she ranks second on the team in scoring with 20 points (7g, 6a) despite having missed nine games while on national team duty. Vote at seniorclassaward.com/vote.
NEW HOME
After playing home games at Drake Stadium from 2000-17, the UCLA soccer teams have moved into a new home, Wallis Annenberg Stadium. The stadium, which seats 2,145, is located at the previously-named North Athletic Field, where UCLA played selected home games from 1967-99. The new stadium was made possible thanks to a $5 million lead gift from the Annenberg Foundation. The just-completed first phase of the stadium project includes grandstand seating and press box on the west side, a Daktronics LED video board and Musco Sports lighting. Future phases of the stadium project may include expanded stadium seating, a training room, student-athlete locker room, coaches' locker rooms, meeting spaces, ticketing space, and a new press box. UCLA won its first game in the new stadium in dramatic fashion on Aug. 17, with Hailie Mace scoring the game-winning goal with two seconds remaining in a 1-0 win over Long Beach State. A record crowd of 2,496 fans attended the Bruins' game vs. Washington State on Sept. 21 in the Pac-12 opener.
NATIONAL TEAMS
UCLA has a plethora of national team players on its 2018 squad, including five who have earned call-ups to the full national team - Hailie Mace and Ashley Sanchez (U.S.), Jessie Fleming and Kennedy Faulknor (Canada), and Teagan Micah (Australia). Mace has three caps with the senior national team, Fleming has 57, and Faulknor has four. Three Bruins started for their respective countries at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup this summer - Sanchez, Viviana Villacorta (U.S.) and Maricarmen Reyes (Mexico). Two others - Delanie Sheehan and Karina Rodriguez - were on the U.S. U-20 squad at the 2018 CONCACAF Championships. and nine more have played with various U.S. Youth National Teams in their career - Olivia Athens (U-18), Lauren Brzykcy (U-17), Marley Canales (2018 U-23s, 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup), Chloe Castaneda (U-17), Maddi Desiano (U-19), Sunny Dunphy (U-19), Jacey Pederson (U-19), Kaiya McCullough (U-19), and Anika Rodriguez (U-23). In addition, Julia Hernandez played with the Spanish U-17 National Team, Olivia de Moraes with the Brazilian U-17 team and Shana Flynn with the Canadian U-20s.
GIRL POWER
UCLA features an all-female coaching staff, led by head coach Amanda Cromwell, who ranks among the nation's Top 25 winningest active coaches with 308 career wins and a .705 winning percentage at the start of the season. Cromwell's assistant coaches are two-time Olympian Jenny Bindon, Sam Greene and volunteer assistant Jane Alukonis. Cromwell, who was inducted into the inaugural class of the Annandale High School Athletic Hall of Fame earlier this month, is a former U.S. National Team player who was a member of the U.S. team at the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup and an alternate for the 1996 Olympic team.
NWSL CHAMPIONS
Five UCLA women's soccer alumnae won the 2018 NWSL Championship with the North Carolina Courage, who defeated Portland FC, 3-0, in the championship match on Sept. 22. Abby Dahlkemper, Katelyn Rowland and Sam Mewis started and played all 90 minutes for the Courage in the victory, and Darian Jenkins played the final minute. McCall Zerboni, a finalist for the NWSL MVP, was unavailable for the Courage after suffering a broken elbow in a U.S. National Team game earlier in the month. Dahlkemper, Mewis, Rowland and Jenkins were all starters on UCLA's 2013 NCAA Championship squad.
INSTA-LEADERS
UCLA women's soccer leads all collegiate soccer teams, men or women, in Instagram followers, boasting 43.2k followers. The Bruins are also in the Top 5 in NCAA women's soccer in Twitter followers with 15.7k. Follow UCLA Women's Soccer at @UCLAWSoccer on both Instagram and Twitter and /UCLAWSoccer on Facebook.
