No. 4 UCLA (5-1) at CSUN (0-6-1)
Date: Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023 – 4 p.m. PT
Location: Northridge, Calif. (Matador Soccer Field)
TV: ESPN+
BIG WEST BATTLES
UCLA will face its fourth Big West opponent in five games when it plays at CSUN (0-5-1) on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 4pm at Matador Soccer Field. The Bruins are 3-0 against the Big West this season after wins over Cal Poly (2-1), UC Irvine (4-0) and Long Beach State (4-0).
LAST TIME OUT
Behind a hat trick from graduate midfielder Sunshine Fontes, UCLA secured a 4-0 victory over Long Beach State on Sept. 7. Fontes scored in the 17th, 57th and 80th minutes, and Michaela Rosenbaum scored her first of the year, just 30 seconds after entering the game in the 41st minute. Bruin goalkeeper Neeku Purcell earned her third shutout, and the Bruin defense held the nation's No. 5-leading scorer Elysia Laramie to zero shots in the game.
SUPER SUBS
A timely sub in the 41st minute led to UCLA's second goal in the 4-0 win over Long Beach State. Michaela Rosenbaum, Taylor Cheatham and America Frias entered the game together at 39:05, and by 40:26, they had each directly contributed to a goal. Frias passed to Cheatham on the left side. Cheatham sent a cross to Rosenbaum in front of goal, and Rosenbaum banged a hard one-timed shot into the back of the net. The goal was Rosenbaum's first of the season, and the assists were Cheatham's first career point and Frias' second assist.
TIP OF THE HAT TO FONTES
Sunshine Fontes recorded her second hat trick in as many seasons on Thursday vs. Long Beach State, moving up to No. 3 on UCLA's all-time list for career hat tricks, tied with teammate Reilyn Turner, Danesha Adams (2004-07) and Sarah-Gayle Swanson (2000-03). Fontes' first hat trick came on Aug. 25, 2022 vs. CSUN. She now leads the team in scoring this season with four goals and nine points and has recorded 20 career goals.
BRUIN DEBUTS
Three Bruins made their collegiate debuts on Thursday against Long Beach State. Freshman midfielder Maya Leoni played 20 minutes, freshman defender Milla Shafie played 10 minutes, and sophomore midfielder Peyton Marcisz saw her first collegiate action after sitting out last season with an injury, playing in the final eight minutes of the match. Additionally, freshman Val Vargas earned her first start, playing in midfield.
TURNING OVER THE RECORD BOOKS
With her goal last week at BYU, Reilyn Turner moved into a tie for seventh on UCLA's career goals list with 33, matching Iris Mora (2002-05) and Tracey Milburn (1998-2000). Two more goals will put Turner into a tie for fifth place with Sarah-Gayle Swanson (2000-03) and Staci Duncan (1998-2001). Turner also ranks in UCLA's Top 10 for career game-winning goals with 13 (tied for ninth) and career hat tricks with two (tied for third).
ALLY IS COOKIN'
Forward Ally Cook scored a goal in each of UCLA's first three games this season and ranks second on the team in scoring with three goals and seven points. The Coto de Caza, Calif. native has totaled eight goals as a Bruin since transferring from the University of Oregon in 2022. She scored 17 goals as a Duck, and her total of 25 career goals ranks second on the Bruin team behind only Reilyn Turner's 33 career goals. Cook was selected to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week after her week one performance and earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and College Soccer News Team of the Week honors after week two.
IN THE RANKINGS
UCLA dropped to No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches poll, marking the first time since Aug. 30, 2022 that the Bruins have not held the top spot. UCLA is ranked No. 6 by Top Drawer Soccer.
SCOUTING THE MATADORS
CSUN enters the game with a 0-6-1 record after a 5-1 loss to Idaho on Thursday. The Matadors broke their six-game scoreless streak in the Idaho game on a goal by Izabel Reyes. Goalkeeper Hayden Mauldin has one shutout this season and recorded a season-high nine saves at Washington last week.
THE SERIES WITH CSUN
UCLA is 10-1 all-time against CSUN and has won nine in a row. CSUN's lone win came in in 1996 at Northridge, 2-1. In the last meeting between the two teams a year ago, Sunshine Fontes recorded a hat trick, and Lexi Wright, Maya Evans and Sofia Cook all scored their first career goals in the 6-0 Bruin victory. Goalkeepers Lauren Brzykcy Kelly McManus, Neeku Purcell and Faith Nguyen combined for the shutout.
BRUINS TO WATCH
A total of four Bruins have been tabbed for the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Watch Lists - defender Lilly Reale, midfielders Sunshine Fontes and Ally Lemos, and forward Reilyn Turner. All four earned All-Pacific Region and All-Pac-12 honors a year ago. Reale was a second-team All-American and the winner of the Honda Sport Award. The Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and the College Cup's Most Outstanding Defensive Player led the UCLA defense to a 0.55 goals against average, UCLA lowest in eight years, and to a Pac-12-best 14 shutouts. Fontes led UCLA in scoring a year ago with 11 goals and 30 points. She also ranked second on the team in assists with eight, one behind Pac-12 leader Lemos, who was selected to the Top Drawer Soccer Freshman Best XI first team. Lemos, the only field player on the Bruins to start in all 25 games, was an all-tournament selection at the College Cup. Turner, the College Cup's Most Outstanding Offensive Player, tied for the team lead in goals scored with 11 last year and has posted 10 or more goals every season. She led the NCAA in 2022 with seven game-winning goals and ranks No. 9 all-time at UCLA with 13 career game-winners.
WELCOME BACK
UCLA returns eight starters from the 2022 NCAA Championship game, including leading scorer Sunshine Fontes (30 points), College Cup Most Outstanding Offensive Player Reilyn Turner (25 points) and Defensive Player Lilly Reale (contributed to 13 shutouts), College Cup All-Tournament selections Ally Lemos (11 points) and Lexi Wright (22 points), and first-team All-Pac-12 honoree Quincy McMahon. UCLA's other returning starters are defender Jayden Perry and midfielder Bridgette Marin-Valencia. Sophomore Neeku Purcell returns the most experience in goal. She played in eight games a year ago and posted a 0.51 goals against average with five shared shutouts.
WHAT'S NEW, BRU?
The Bruins welcome eight newcomers to the defending national championship squad. Joining the Bruins in 2023 are transfers Ayo Oke and Emily Pringle, early enrollee freshmen Taylor Cheatham and Milla Shafie and new freshmen Kirsten Crane, Maya Leoni, Sophie Reale and Val Vargas. Oke comes to UCLA from the University of California, where she was an All-Pac-12 and all-region honoree in 2022 and tied for the Pac-12 lead with nine assists. Graduate student Pringle was a two-year team captain at the University of Pennsylvania and an All-Ivy League defender in 2021. Cheatham and Shafie have been with the Bruins since January and saw action during the Bruins' spring schedule. Vargas, a starter on Mexico's Under-20 National Team, leads the new freshmen, along with Gatorade Massachusetts State Player of the Year Sophie Reale, the younger sister of UCLA starting defender Lilly Reale.
FOR LOVE OF COUNTRY
Several Bruins spent the offseason playing for their respective national teams in tournaments around the world. Head coach Margueritte Aozasa coached the U.S. Under-23 team at the Thorns Preseason Tournament in March in Portland, Oregon, and was joined by players Lilly Reale, Quincy McMahon, Sunshine Fontes, Reilyn Turner, Neeku Purcell and Ayo Oke. In May, Ally Lemos and Sofia Cook played for the U.S., and Val Vargas played for Mexico at the 2023 Concacaf Under-20 Championships in the Dominican Republic. With Vargas in the starting lineup, Mexico beat the U.S. in the final, 2-1, to capture the championship. Vargas is one of three Mexican Under-20 National Team players on the Bruin squad, along with sophomores Bridgett Marin-Valencia and America Frias, who each played with Mexico at the 2022 FIFA Under-20 World Cup. Also playing in that 2022 Under-20 World Cup were Reale, Purcell and Oke.
ACADEMIC HONORS
For the 12th consecutive year, the UCLA women's soccer team has won a United Soccer Coaches College Team Academic Award, recognizing exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2022-23 academic year. The Bruins posted a team GPA of 3.27, their fourth consecutive year over 3.25. A program-record 18 players were named to the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll in 2022.
FOLLOW THE BRUINS
Follow UCLA Women's Soccer at @UCLAWSoccer on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok and /UCLAWSoccer on Facebook. The Bruins lead all collegiate soccer teams, men or women, in Instagram followers with 114k.
UP NEXT
UCLA concludes non-conference play on Friday, Sept. 15 against Pepperdine at 7pm at Wallis Annenberg Stadium.
Date: Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023 – 4 p.m. PT
Location: Northridge, Calif. (Matador Soccer Field)
TV: ESPN+
BIG WEST BATTLES
UCLA will face its fourth Big West opponent in five games when it plays at CSUN (0-5-1) on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 4pm at Matador Soccer Field. The Bruins are 3-0 against the Big West this season after wins over Cal Poly (2-1), UC Irvine (4-0) and Long Beach State (4-0).
LAST TIME OUT
Behind a hat trick from graduate midfielder Sunshine Fontes, UCLA secured a 4-0 victory over Long Beach State on Sept. 7. Fontes scored in the 17th, 57th and 80th minutes, and Michaela Rosenbaum scored her first of the year, just 30 seconds after entering the game in the 41st minute. Bruin goalkeeper Neeku Purcell earned her third shutout, and the Bruin defense held the nation's No. 5-leading scorer Elysia Laramie to zero shots in the game.
SUPER SUBS
A timely sub in the 41st minute led to UCLA's second goal in the 4-0 win over Long Beach State. Michaela Rosenbaum, Taylor Cheatham and America Frias entered the game together at 39:05, and by 40:26, they had each directly contributed to a goal. Frias passed to Cheatham on the left side. Cheatham sent a cross to Rosenbaum in front of goal, and Rosenbaum banged a hard one-timed shot into the back of the net. The goal was Rosenbaum's first of the season, and the assists were Cheatham's first career point and Frias' second assist.
TIP OF THE HAT TO FONTES
Sunshine Fontes recorded her second hat trick in as many seasons on Thursday vs. Long Beach State, moving up to No. 3 on UCLA's all-time list for career hat tricks, tied with teammate Reilyn Turner, Danesha Adams (2004-07) and Sarah-Gayle Swanson (2000-03). Fontes' first hat trick came on Aug. 25, 2022 vs. CSUN. She now leads the team in scoring this season with four goals and nine points and has recorded 20 career goals.
BRUIN DEBUTS
Three Bruins made their collegiate debuts on Thursday against Long Beach State. Freshman midfielder Maya Leoni played 20 minutes, freshman defender Milla Shafie played 10 minutes, and sophomore midfielder Peyton Marcisz saw her first collegiate action after sitting out last season with an injury, playing in the final eight minutes of the match. Additionally, freshman Val Vargas earned her first start, playing in midfield.
TURNING OVER THE RECORD BOOKS
With her goal last week at BYU, Reilyn Turner moved into a tie for seventh on UCLA's career goals list with 33, matching Iris Mora (2002-05) and Tracey Milburn (1998-2000). Two more goals will put Turner into a tie for fifth place with Sarah-Gayle Swanson (2000-03) and Staci Duncan (1998-2001). Turner also ranks in UCLA's Top 10 for career game-winning goals with 13 (tied for ninth) and career hat tricks with two (tied for third).
ALLY IS COOKIN'
Forward Ally Cook scored a goal in each of UCLA's first three games this season and ranks second on the team in scoring with three goals and seven points. The Coto de Caza, Calif. native has totaled eight goals as a Bruin since transferring from the University of Oregon in 2022. She scored 17 goals as a Duck, and her total of 25 career goals ranks second on the Bruin team behind only Reilyn Turner's 33 career goals. Cook was selected to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week after her week one performance and earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and College Soccer News Team of the Week honors after week two.
IN THE RANKINGS
UCLA dropped to No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches poll, marking the first time since Aug. 30, 2022 that the Bruins have not held the top spot. UCLA is ranked No. 6 by Top Drawer Soccer.
SCOUTING THE MATADORS
CSUN enters the game with a 0-6-1 record after a 5-1 loss to Idaho on Thursday. The Matadors broke their six-game scoreless streak in the Idaho game on a goal by Izabel Reyes. Goalkeeper Hayden Mauldin has one shutout this season and recorded a season-high nine saves at Washington last week.
THE SERIES WITH CSUN
UCLA is 10-1 all-time against CSUN and has won nine in a row. CSUN's lone win came in in 1996 at Northridge, 2-1. In the last meeting between the two teams a year ago, Sunshine Fontes recorded a hat trick, and Lexi Wright, Maya Evans and Sofia Cook all scored their first career goals in the 6-0 Bruin victory. Goalkeepers Lauren Brzykcy Kelly McManus, Neeku Purcell and Faith Nguyen combined for the shutout.
BRUINS TO WATCH
A total of four Bruins have been tabbed for the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Watch Lists - defender Lilly Reale, midfielders Sunshine Fontes and Ally Lemos, and forward Reilyn Turner. All four earned All-Pacific Region and All-Pac-12 honors a year ago. Reale was a second-team All-American and the winner of the Honda Sport Award. The Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and the College Cup's Most Outstanding Defensive Player led the UCLA defense to a 0.55 goals against average, UCLA lowest in eight years, and to a Pac-12-best 14 shutouts. Fontes led UCLA in scoring a year ago with 11 goals and 30 points. She also ranked second on the team in assists with eight, one behind Pac-12 leader Lemos, who was selected to the Top Drawer Soccer Freshman Best XI first team. Lemos, the only field player on the Bruins to start in all 25 games, was an all-tournament selection at the College Cup. Turner, the College Cup's Most Outstanding Offensive Player, tied for the team lead in goals scored with 11 last year and has posted 10 or more goals every season. She led the NCAA in 2022 with seven game-winning goals and ranks No. 9 all-time at UCLA with 13 career game-winners.
WELCOME BACK
UCLA returns eight starters from the 2022 NCAA Championship game, including leading scorer Sunshine Fontes (30 points), College Cup Most Outstanding Offensive Player Reilyn Turner (25 points) and Defensive Player Lilly Reale (contributed to 13 shutouts), College Cup All-Tournament selections Ally Lemos (11 points) and Lexi Wright (22 points), and first-team All-Pac-12 honoree Quincy McMahon. UCLA's other returning starters are defender Jayden Perry and midfielder Bridgette Marin-Valencia. Sophomore Neeku Purcell returns the most experience in goal. She played in eight games a year ago and posted a 0.51 goals against average with five shared shutouts.
WHAT'S NEW, BRU?
The Bruins welcome eight newcomers to the defending national championship squad. Joining the Bruins in 2023 are transfers Ayo Oke and Emily Pringle, early enrollee freshmen Taylor Cheatham and Milla Shafie and new freshmen Kirsten Crane, Maya Leoni, Sophie Reale and Val Vargas. Oke comes to UCLA from the University of California, where she was an All-Pac-12 and all-region honoree in 2022 and tied for the Pac-12 lead with nine assists. Graduate student Pringle was a two-year team captain at the University of Pennsylvania and an All-Ivy League defender in 2021. Cheatham and Shafie have been with the Bruins since January and saw action during the Bruins' spring schedule. Vargas, a starter on Mexico's Under-20 National Team, leads the new freshmen, along with Gatorade Massachusetts State Player of the Year Sophie Reale, the younger sister of UCLA starting defender Lilly Reale.
FOR LOVE OF COUNTRY
Several Bruins spent the offseason playing for their respective national teams in tournaments around the world. Head coach Margueritte Aozasa coached the U.S. Under-23 team at the Thorns Preseason Tournament in March in Portland, Oregon, and was joined by players Lilly Reale, Quincy McMahon, Sunshine Fontes, Reilyn Turner, Neeku Purcell and Ayo Oke. In May, Ally Lemos and Sofia Cook played for the U.S., and Val Vargas played for Mexico at the 2023 Concacaf Under-20 Championships in the Dominican Republic. With Vargas in the starting lineup, Mexico beat the U.S. in the final, 2-1, to capture the championship. Vargas is one of three Mexican Under-20 National Team players on the Bruin squad, along with sophomores Bridgett Marin-Valencia and America Frias, who each played with Mexico at the 2022 FIFA Under-20 World Cup. Also playing in that 2022 Under-20 World Cup were Reale, Purcell and Oke.
ACADEMIC HONORS
For the 12th consecutive year, the UCLA women's soccer team has won a United Soccer Coaches College Team Academic Award, recognizing exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2022-23 academic year. The Bruins posted a team GPA of 3.27, their fourth consecutive year over 3.25. A program-record 18 players were named to the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll in 2022.
FOLLOW THE BRUINS
Follow UCLA Women's Soccer at @UCLAWSoccer on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok and /UCLAWSoccer on Facebook. The Bruins lead all collegiate soccer teams, men or women, in Instagram followers with 114k.
UP NEXT
UCLA concludes non-conference play on Friday, Sept. 15 against Pepperdine at 7pm at Wallis Annenberg Stadium.