UCLA
San Jose State (First Round)
UCLA Begins NCAA Tournament Play Friday
November 08, 2018 | Women's Soccer
GAME INFORMATION
Live Stream: pac-12.com/live/ucla-3
Audio Broadcast: ucla.leanplayer.com
Play By Play: Nick Koop
Live Stats: ncaa.com
Tickets: $10 adults/$8 youth
Ticket Promotion: Bring ticket stub to UCLA MBB game at 8pm for $5 admission and to UCLA WBB game Sunday at 2pm for free admission
Giveaways: Free pizza for first 200 fans
NO. 2 SEED UCLA HOSTS SAN JOSE STATE IN NCAA FIRST ROUND
Second-seeded and fourth-ranked UCLA (14-3-1) will host Mountain West champion San José State (9-6-6) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, Nov. 9 at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. The match will begin at 6 p.m. and will be live streamed on pac-12.com.
UCLA'S NCAA HISTORY
The Bruins are making their 22nd overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA has a 61-18-4 all-time NCAA Tournament record and has advanced to the Round of 16 or beyond in five of the last six seasons, including a finals berth in 2017 and a championship victory in 2013.
UCLA's seeding history and results in its 21 previous NCAA Tournament appearances 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)
2017 - #2 seed, Final (L to Stanford, 3-2)
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).
BRUINS SEEDED FOR SIXTH-STRAIGHT YEAR
With a No. 2 seed for the second consecutive year, UCLA has been seeded in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last six years and for the 16th time in the last 17 years. The Bruins were also a No. 2 seed in 2013 when they won their first NCAA Championship.
CROMWELL SEEKING 100TH WIN AT UCLA
UCLA head coach Amanda Cromwell needs one more victory to secure 100 wins at UCLA. Cromwell, who hit the 300 career win milestone a year ago, has a 99-23-12 record in six season as the Bruins' head coach and is 322-121-39 in 22 years of coaching. She led UCLA to its first-ever NCAA Championship in her first year in Westwood, in 2013.
ON A ROLL
UCLA has won nine consecutive games, outscoring opponents by a 29-6 margin. Key to this streak has been the play of forward Ashley Sanchez, who has recorded a goal or assist in each of those nine games, totaling six goals and seven assists during the streak. But it hasn't been just Sanchez who have provided offensive input, as 14 different players have scored a goal, and seven different players have scored the game-winning goal in the eight-game streak. The Bruins regained the services of national team members Hailie Mace and Jessie Fleming for the last four games and have scored 16 goals since their return. UCLA's win streak is the fifth-longest active streak in the nation.
BRUINS WIN BATTLE FOR LA FOR THIRD-STRAIGHT YEAR
UCLA won the crosstown showdown against USC for the third consecutive year, defeating the Trojans, 3-2 in double overtime in front of 8,555 fans, the third-largest regular season crowd in NCAA women's soccer history. The Bruins came from behind twice before sealing the victory on a 105th-minute golden goal by Olivia Athens. Jessie Fleming chipped a ball into the box for Athens, who headed it over the goalkeeper for the game-winner.
HOT TICKET
The top five most-attended regular season women's soccer games in NCAA history have all been between UCLA and USC. Last year's contest drew 11,925 fans, setting a new NCAA women's soccer regular season attendance record and was the most-attended women's soccer game on a college campus in the sport's history. This year's double overtime thriller drew the third-biggest crowd, 8,555.
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) 8,555 - Nov. 2, 2018, UCLA at USC (StubHub Center)
4) 8,527 - Oct. 22, 2010, UCLA at USC (Los Angeles Coliseum)
5) 8,508 - Nov. 4, 2016, UCLA vs. USC (StubHub Center)
NCAA RECORD ACHIEVED
UCLA and USC paired up to etch their names into the NCAA record book, tying the NCAA record for fastest consecutive goals by opposing teams. USC forward Penelope Hocking broke a 1-1 tie with a goal at 86:26. Just six seconds later, UCLA returned the favor on a 30-yard strike from Hailie Mace to tie the game. The record was first set on Sept. 17, 2001 by Illinois and Marquette and then matched on Nov. 1, 2001 by UConn and Yale.
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.
MCCULLOUGH SELECTED DEFENSIVE POW
For the second time this year and the third time in her career, junior Kaiya McCullough was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week. McCullough made several huge defensive plays to help lead the Bruins to a thrilling 3-2 double overtime win against No. 2 USC. In the 47th minute, she raced back on a breakaway to track down Pac-12 goals leader Penelope Hocking, preventing a goal-scoring opportunity that could have given USC a 2-0 lead. McCullough also had a key stop in the 89th minute, getting a clean tackle on Savannah DeMelo at the top of the box to dispossess. McCullough is one of just two Bruins who has started every game this year, and she ranks second on the team in minutes played with 1,511. UCLA totaled eight Pac-12 weekly honors this season and a Pac-12 high 78 all-time. McCullough's defensive honor was the fifth by a Bruin this year, and UCLA finished the regular season winning four of the final five Defensive Player of the Week awards. McCullough and Rodriguez were the only two players to win multiple Defensive Player of the Week awards this year.
MULTIPLE WEAPONS
Fourteen different Bruin players have scored goals this season, led by Ashley Sanchez, who has eight; Hailie Mace, who has five; and Anika Rodriguez and Delanie Sheehan, who have four each. Olivia Athens, Viviana Villacorta, Chloe Castaneda, Julia Hernandez and Maricarmen Reyes each have three. Other Bruin goal scorers are Karina Rodriguez, Jessie Fleming and Kennedy Faulknor with two and Sunny Dunphy and Dani Satterwhite with one each.
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 6-0 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.
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 18 games - Chloe Castaneda, Kennedy Faulknor, Olivia Athens, Julia Hernandez, Sunny Dunphy and Viviana Villacorta. Rodriguez leads the team with 1615 minutes played out of 1655, followed by McCullough with 1511. Viviana Villacorta ranks third with 1424 minutes, Ashley Sanchez has 1344, Sheehan has 1313, Athens has 1164, and Maricarmen Reyes has 1007.
UCLA has utilized 16 different starting lineups in 18 games this year, with only one repeating. 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.
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 UCLA has scored a goal in the first eight minutes of the game five 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 60 consecutive games โฆ Kaiya McCullough has made 49 consecutive starts โฆ Marley Canales returned to the pitch at Cal after missing five games due to injury and has started the last six games โฆ Anika Rodriguez, who has decided to return in 2019 for her fifth year, injured her knee in the Arizona State contest and is out indefinitely โฆ Teagan Micah has moved up to fourth on UCLA's career saves list with 189, and her 43 career wins puts her within two of No. 4 overall at UCLA.
ABOUT THE SPARTANS
San José State earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Mountain West Tournament. This is SJSU's third-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. They previously qualified in 2000 and 2015 and are 0-2 all-time. This season, the Spartans are 9-6-6 overall and have a school record 11 shutouts, which is tied for fourth-most in the nation. Senior goalkeeper Paige Simoneau, who was named MVP of the Mountain West Tournament, holds a 0.61 goals against average. Offensively, the Spartans are led by Jamilecxth Becerra, who has five goals and two assists. This will be just the second meeting ever between UCLA and San Jose State. They first met in UCLA's home opener 21 years ago, in 1997, a match the Bruins won, 4-1, at El Camino College.
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 14 points (5g, 4a) despite having missed nine games while on national team duty. Vote at seniorclassaward.com/vote.
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 second team. Dunphy holds a 3.78 GPA in Physiological Science, while Hernandez has a 3.81 GPA in Applied Mathematics.
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.
INSTA-LEADERS
UCLA women's soccer leads all collegiate soccer teams, men or women, in Instagram followers, boasting 41.5k followers. The Bruins are also in the Top 5 in NCAA women's soccer in Twitter followers with 15.5k. Follow UCLA Women's Soccer at @UCLAWSoccer on both Instagram and Twitter and /UCLAWSoccer on Facebook.
