LOS ANGELES - In a thorough team victory, No. 5 UCLA recorded its fourth consecutive shutout Friday night, 4-0 over Utah. Ally Lemos, Reilyn Turner, Lexi Wright and Megan Edelman scored goals for the Bruins, while defender Quincy McMahon added a pair of assists.
UCLA (12-1, 6-0 in the Pac-12) got out to an early lead in the 12th minute, with Lemos whipping a beautiful free kick into the bottom corner in the 12th minute. Lemos's free kick was set up by a sequence of nifty dribbles from Emma Egizii, who drew the foul despite having a malfunctioning right cleat.
The Bruins would double their lead in quick succession, with reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week Turner depositing a sliding backpost finish into the back of the net from McMahon 's low-driven cross in the 19th minute. McMahon caused many issues for the Utah defense down the left flank throughout the game with her overlapping runs, and her run set up Turner for her team-leading eighth goal of the season and her 40th career goal. Turner moved into a tie with Sam Mewis for sixth in UCLA's record book with 94 career points.
With the game nearing an end, Janae DeFazio and America Frias combined down the right flank to set up senior Megan Edelman in front of goal. DeFazio took the ball beyond midfield and dribbled down the right side before playing a ball up to Frias in the box. Frias passed it back to Edelman, who one-timed it past Wardle for her first career goal.
The Bruins fired a season-high 36 shots and kept constant pressure on the Utah backline. Wardle was forced into a career-high 14 saves. Neeku Purcell and Faith Nguyen combined for the shutout, UCLA's ninth of the year. The Bruin defense allowed just four shots by the Utes (5-5-5, 1-3-2), and Purcell had three saves, which tied her season high.
UCLA will next play at Arizona on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7pm PT.
UCLA (12-1, 6-0 in the Pac-12) got out to an early lead in the 12th minute, with Lemos whipping a beautiful free kick into the bottom corner in the 12th minute. Lemos's free kick was set up by a sequence of nifty dribbles from Emma Egizii, who drew the foul despite having a malfunctioning right cleat.
The Bruins would double their lead in quick succession, with reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week Turner depositing a sliding backpost finish into the back of the net from McMahon 's low-driven cross in the 19th minute. McMahon caused many issues for the Utah defense down the left flank throughout the game with her overlapping runs, and her run set up Turner for her team-leading eighth goal of the season and her 40th career goal. Turner moved into a tie with Sam Mewis for sixth in UCLA's record book with 94 career points.
The second half began with a steady dose of Wright, with the junior forward applying constant pressure on the Utes' backline. After two missed chances, Wright would latch onto a crisp McMahon through ball, slotting her effort with her left foot past Utah goalkeeper Kasey Wardle to increase UCLA's lead to 3-0 in the 62nd minute.Top shelf by @reilynturner, where, as Jim Watson says, "mama keeps the vacation money" ??
— UCLA Women's Soccer (@UCLAWSoccer) October 14, 2023
??: @Pac12Network
??: https://t.co/DjeYFlnBVa#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/layYoebNTn
With the game nearing an end, Janae DeFazio and America Frias combined down the right flank to set up senior Megan Edelman in front of goal. DeFazio took the ball beyond midfield and dribbled down the right side before playing a ball up to Frias in the box. Frias passed it back to Edelman, who one-timed it past Wardle for her first career goal.
"Tonight was really special because all four of our goals were really, really quality goals, especially the last one," said UCLA head coach Margueritte Aozasa. "We've said over and over again just how important our depth is, and you could see it today. A lot of players who maybe haven't played as many minutes played the majority of minutes in the second half, and I thought, soccer-wise, that the second half was our better half. So I'm really pleased with them."What a combo to end the game!
— UCLA Women's Soccer (@UCLAWSoccer) October 14, 2023
Janae DeFazio ?? @AmericaFrias4 ?? @Megedelman3
#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/pv1blpr6oK
The Bruins fired a season-high 36 shots and kept constant pressure on the Utah backline. Wardle was forced into a career-high 14 saves. Neeku Purcell and Faith Nguyen combined for the shutout, UCLA's ninth of the year. The Bruin defense allowed just four shots by the Utes (5-5-5, 1-3-2), and Purcell had three saves, which tied her season high.
UCLA will next play at Arizona on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7pm PT.