UCLA Opens Pac-12 Play Friday at Colorado

Friday, September 22

Boulder, CO

6:00 PM

UCLA

Colorado

Neeku Purcell

Photo by: Scott Chandler

UCLA Opens Pac-12 Play Friday at Colorado

September 20, 2023 | Women's Soccer

Game Notes (PDF)

No. 5 UCLA (6-1) at No. 20 Colorado (8-1)
Date: Friday, Sept. 22, 2023 – 7 p.m. MT / 6 p.m. PT
Location: Boulder, Colo. (Prentup Field)
Television: Pac-12 Networks
Talent: Thad Anderson
Live Stats: statbroadcast.com

PAC-12 OPENER
No. 5 UCLA (6-1) and No. 20 Colorado (8-1) will begin Pac-12 Conference play on Friday, Sept. 22 in Boulder, Colo. The game will take place at Prentup Field at 7pm MT/6pm PT and will air live on Pac-12 Networks. UCLA is 22-2-4 all-time in conference openers.

BRUINS CRASH WAVES, 2-0
After a scoreless first half, the Bruins scored two goals in the second half to record their fifth shutout win of the year, 2-0 over Pepperdine. Quincy McMahon and Val Vargas provided the offensive output with a pair of unassisted goals. UCLA finished the game with a 25-2 shot advantage and held the Waves to zero shots in the second half. Neeku Purcell made saves on both of Pepperdine's shots and earned the shutout, her fourth solo shutout of the year.

MCMAHON EARNS PAC-12 DEFENSIVE HONORS
Junior Quincy McMahon earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second time in her career. In addition to scoring the game-winning goal in the 54th minute to break a scoreless tie, McMahon led the Bruin defense to its third consecutive shutout and fifth shutout overall in seven games. The Bruins held Pepperdine to just two shots in the game and none in the second half and have held opponents to four shots or less in a game in six of seven games this season. McMahon, who hails from Carmel, Ind., also had an important defensive stop in the first half. She is the third Bruin player to receive Pac-12 weekly awards this season, joining Offensive Player of the Week awardees Ally Cook and Sunshine Fontes.

OPPONENTS WITH LITTLE SHOT
In six of UCLA's seven games this season, opponents have been held to four shots or less in the game, including the last two contests that have seen the Bruin defense hold their opposition to two shots. UCLA's lockdown defense includes goalkeeper Neeku Purcell, center backs Lilly Reale and Jayden Perry and outside backs Quincy McMahon and Ayo Oke.

JORDYN GATHERS FIRST APPEARANCE
After missing the last three seasons due to knee injuries, senior Jordyn Gather made her UCLA debut on Sept. 15 with an honorary start against Pepperdine. Gather got the opening touch at kickoff before being subbed out shortly after. The defender from Ladera Ranch, Calif. came to UCLA in 2020 as a two-time High School All-American at JSerra Catholic HS and a two-time club national champion with SoCal Blues.

TIP YOUR HAT TO FONTES
After recording her second hat trick in as many seasons in the Long Beach State win on Sept. 7, graduate midfielder Sunshine Fontes was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and the UCLA Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by Ready. Fontes moved 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 leads the team in scoring this season with four goals and is tied for first with Turner with nine points. Fontes now has 20 career goals.

TURNING OVER THE RECORD BOOKS
With her goal at CSUN on Sept. 10, Reilyn Turner moved into sole possession of seventh place on UCLA's career goals list with 34. She needs just one more goal to move 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 thir 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 remained to No. 5 in the United Soccer Coaches poll for the second-straight week. The Bruins moved up one to No. 4 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll. Colorado moved up to No. 20 in the United Soccer Coaches poll and is up to 21st in Top Drawer Soccer's poll.

SCOUTING THE BUFFALOES
Colorado enters the game with an 8-1 record. The Buffaloes' only loss came in game two, a 1-0 home loss to Marquette, and they have won seven in a row since, including a 3-1 win at Denver a week ago. Shyra James leads Colorado and the Pac-12 in scoring with seven goals and 15 points. Goalkeeper Jordan Nytes holds a 0.44 goals against average with five shutouts, numbers that ranks second in the Pac-12.

THE SERIES WITH COLORADO
UCLA is 13-2 all-time against Colorado and has won the last six matchups in the series, including a 6-0 win in Boulder a year ago. Reilyn Turner scored the first of her two goals in the second minute of the game, which UCLA led at the half by a 4-0 score. Colorado's last victory came at home in 2016, 1-0.

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 in 2022, 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. Vargas, Marin-Valencia and Frias are currently in training camp with Mexico's U-20 and will play two club teams on Sept. 22 and 25.

UP NEXT
The Bruins will travel to the Pacific Northwest to take on Washington on Sept. 28 and Washington State on Oct. 1.