Sunday, October 27
Carson, CA
12 p.m. PT
UCLA
at
USC
Bridgette Marin-Valencia
Photo by: Scott Chandler
Big Stakes for Sunday's Crosstown Showdown
October 23, 2024 | Women's Soccer
No. 8 UCLA (13-2-3, 8-0-2) at No. 6 USC (13-1-2, 9-0-1)
Date: Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024 – 12 p.m. PT
Location: Carson, Calif. (Dignity Health Sports Park)
Broadcast: Big Ten Network
Talent: Christian Miles, Tracey Bailey
Live Stats: uclalivestats.com
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets: Free Admission (register here)
Entrance: NW Entrance; Gates Open at 11am
Parking: $25 in advance (pre-pay here), $30 on site
UCLA VS. USC IN BATTLE FOR LA, BIG TEN BRAGGING RIGHTS
The Crosstown Showdown stakes got bigger this year with Sunday's matchup between No. 8 UCLA (13-2-3, 8-0-2 in the Big Ten) and No. 6 USC (13-1-2, 9-0-1) deciding the winner of the Big Ten Conference regular season title. A UCLA win would give the Bruins their second-straight conference title, while a USC win or tie would give the Trojans their first since 1998. The matchup will take place at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif., home of the Los Angeles Galaxy. Kickoff is at Noon. Gates open at 11am at the Northwest Entrance. Admission is free. Tickets can be reserved at usctrojans.com/dignity.
BIG TEN RACE
The Big Ten regular season title and No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament will come down to the two Los Angeles schools in their first year in the conference. UCLA is seeking its 15th regular season conference title after winning 14 in the Pac-12 Conference, including last year's. USC is attempting to win its second. The Trojans' only other conference title was a co-championship in 1998 with UCLA and Cal. USC is alone atop the table with 28 points. UCLA has 26, and Iowa is close behind with 25. Iowa will face Minnesota on Sunday in its final regular season game. An Iowa win coupled with a UCLA tie or loss would put the Hawkeyes into the No. 2 seed. UCLA would still retain the No. 2 seed if tied in the standings, due to the second tiebreaker, which is record vs. common opponents. UCLA has 23 points to Iowa's 22.
LAST TIME OUT
No. 10 UCLA kept its Big Ten regular season title hopes alive after beating No. 15 Ohio State, 1-0. Senior Jayden Perry scored the game's only goal in the 61st minute on a penalty kick. The Bruins were awarded the penalty kick after Peyton Marcisz drove through traffic in the box. An Ohio State defender stepped in to clear but cleared it off a teammate's arm for a handball in the box. UCLA's defense earned its nation-leading 13th shutout, allowing zero shots in the second half and just four in the game. Bruin goalkeeper Ryan Campbell made three saves to earn the clean sheet.
IN THE RANKINGS
UCLA moved up two spots to No. 8 in the United Soccer Coaches rankings and jumped up three spots to No. 10 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll. The Bruins are No. 15 in the NCAA RPI.
SCOUTING THE TROJANS
USC is 13-1-2 overall and leads the Big Ten with a 9-0-1 record. The Trojans are on a 10-game unbeaten streak and have won six in a row. Maile Hayes leads USC in scoring with seven goals and 16 points. Three other Trojan players are in double-figures in points scored - Maria Alagoa (12), Kayla Colbert (11) and Helena Sampaio. Goalkeeper Laurence Gladu has played every minute of every game and has a 0.75 goals against average with eight shutouts. USC is led by head coach Jane Alukonis, who was an assistant at UCLA from 2018-21.
THE SERIES WITH USC
UCLA owns a 28-7-3 record all-time against USC and won last year's contest, 4-2, in Westwood. The Bruins scored three goals in the first half to surge ahead, 3-1, and a Bridgette Marin-Valencia penalty kick gave UCLA a 4-1 lead in the 81st minute. USC's last win came at home in 2022, 2-0. In the last 10 meetings between the two teams, UCLA is 6-2-2.
The Crosstown Showdown has taken place twice before at Dignity Health Park. UCLA won the first meeting, 1-0, in 2016, on a first-half goal by Annie Alvarado. In 2018, the Bruins took the victory, 3-2, in an overtime thriller. USC's Penelope Hocking broke a 1-1 tie at 86:26, only to see Hailie Mace hit a bomb from 30 yards out just six seconds later to tie. The Trojans had another opportunity to score in the final seconds of regulation, but Bruin goalkeeper Teagan Micah leaped up to tip Hocking's shot out of play as time expired. UCLA ended the contest in the fifth minute of the second overtime period on Olivia Athens' header for the game-winner.
AOZASA EARNS 50TH CAREER WIN IN 60 GAMES
With UCLA's 3-1 win at Illinois on Oct. 13, Bruin head coach Margueritte Aozasa earned her 50th career win in just 60 games. Aozasa, alongside assistants Gof Boyoko and Molly Poletto, won the NCAA Championship in her first year in 2022, winning 22 games. Her career record in three seasons is now 51-6-5.
SHUTOUT CITY
With 13 shutouts in 18 games, UCLA and goalkeeper Ryan Campbell are among the nation's defensive leaders. Campbell ranks first the nation with 13 shutouts and third with a 0.333 goals against average. The Bruin team ranks second in team goals against average (0.333) and is fourth in shutout percentage (0.722). They have more than twice as many shutouts as goals allowed (six). UCLA began the season with five consecutive shutouts, becoming just the second team in school history to accomplish the feat (the 2014 Bruins started out with six shutouts in a row). Campbell compiled 519 consecutive shutout minutes, just shy of Katelyn Rowland's single-season school record 638-minute shutout streak in 2014.
Campbell, a graduate transfer from Stanford, is climbing up UCLA's single-season goalkeeping records. Her 13 shutouts are tied for third all-time with Ashley Thompson in 2008. Only Katelyn Rowland, who holds the NCAA record with 19 shutouts in 2014, has had more in a season (Rowland also owns the No. 2 mark at UCLA with 15 in 2013). Campbell is one shutout away from breaking into UCLA's Top 10 for career shutouts in just one season. She totaled 19 in two years as a starter at Stanford.
REALE RATED NO. 1
Senior defender Lilly Reale was rated the No. 1 player in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer in its Midseason Player Rankings. Reale has led UCLA's defense to more than twice as many shutouts as goals allowed, as the Bruins have recorded 13 shutouts and allowed just six goals. She has also scored one goal, making an 85-yard run and scoring far post to score the game-winner at Cal Poly, and recorded two assists on game-winners against Santa Clara and BYU. Top Drawer Soccer noted, "Whether displaying her outstanding passing range on a cross-field switch, her athleticism on a ball-carrying drive, or her elite defensive instincts on a timely interception, Reale is the best player in college soccer." Reale is a two-time All-American and two-time conference defensive player of the year. In 2022, she won the Honda Sport Award and was named the Most Valuable Defensive Player at the College Cup.
ASSISTS QUEEN
Senior defender Quincy McMahon enters this week's game just one assist shy of breaking into UCLA's Top 10 for career assists. She currently has 22 assists, one behind Caprice Dydasco (2011-14), Jenna Richmond (2010-13) and Lauren Wilmoth (2006-09), who are tied for ninth with 23. Lauren Barnes (2007-10) would be the next target, ranking eighth with 25. McMahon led the Bruins in assists last season with seven. She also totaled seven assists as a freshman in 2021. This season, McMahon is tied for second on the team in scoring with eight points (three goals, two assists). She has scored three goals in her last six games. McMahon was named UCLA's Student-Athlete of the Week after scoring the game-winning goal in the Bruins' 1-0 win over Washington on Oct. 5. The week prior, she earned her sixth career conference defensive player of the week honor.
WHAT'S COOKING?
Junior midfielder Sofia Cook is tied for first on the team in goals scored with four and is tied for second in points with eight. Three of her four goals have been game-winners - in the 43rd minute of a 1-0 win over Santa Clara, in the 28th minute of a 1-0 victory at Indiana, and in the 57th minute of a 2-0 win at Purdue. She ranks seventh in the Big Ten with three game-winning goals and has totaled 12 goals and six assists in her career.
FONTES MAKES TRIUMPHANT RETURN
Graduate student Sunshine Fontes has made a triumphant return back to play after missing the second half of 2023 with an ACL injury. Seeing her first action of the season at Oregon on Sept. 14, Fontes scored the tying goal in the 80th minute of UCLA's comeback victory. On Sept. 29 against Minnesota, she recorded a pair of assists, including an assist on the game-winner. She has played in eight games so far this season and played in a season-high 43 minutes against Ohio State. Fontes' Bruin career began on the sidelines, as her 2019 season was lost rehabbing an ACL injury suffered in her final high school game. She earned Pac-12 All-Freshman honors in her return season in 2020, ranking third on the team with five goals scored, and in 2022, she led the Bruins' NCAA Championship team in scoring with 11 goals and 30 points. Fontes was the team's leading scorer in 2023 with five goals and 11 points before her injury at Washington on Sept. 28.
VIVA MEXICO
UCLA's trio of Mexican Under-20 National Team players - America Frias, Mariangela Medina and Val Vargas - are back with the Bruins after missing the first nine games while playing at the FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup. Frias started for the Bruins in her first game back at Indiana, and Vargas played 73 minutes in that contest. Both Frias and Vargas started in UCLA's last eight games. Another Mexican Youth National Team player - Bridgette Marin-Valencia - has been with the Bruins all season and is leading the team in goals with four and points with 10.
Mexico advanced to the round of 16 at the World Cup, where they fell in extra time to the United States, 3-2. All three Bruins played in the game. Vargas started and scored a first-half goal. Frias was a second-half sub, and Medina came into the game late in the overtime. Just two minutes after entering the game, Medina was forced into a penalty kick situation and made the save to keep Mexico within one.
UCLA VS. BIG TEN
The Bruins are now 110-18-8 (.838) all-time against Big Ten teams and 33-5-2 (.850) vs. their new conference mates. UCLA has been extra formidable against the Big Ten in the NCAA Tournament, sporting a 12-2 record.
BRUINS EARN NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Five UCLA women's soccer players earned national preseason recognition ahead of the 2024 season. Senior defender Lilly Reale and graduate goalkeeper Ryan Campbell were selected to MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Best XI first team and the NCAA Division I Women's Players to Watch List. They were joined on the NCAA Players to Watch list by senior defender Quincy McMahon and graduate midfielder Meg Boade. Defender Nicki Fraser was selected to the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Freshman Team. On the conference front, Reale, Boade and Emma Egizii were selected to the Big Ten Players to Watch List.
WELCOME BACK
UCLA returned seven starters from last season's conference championship team and seven all-conference players in Defensive Player of the Year Lilly Reale, Quincy McMahon, Sofia Cook, Ayo Oke, Jayden Perry, Sunshine Fontes and Lexi Wright. Additionally, Val Vargas earned all-freshman honors a year ago.
The Bruins' senior class has been prolific. Reale, McMahon, Perry, Wright and Emma Egizii entered together in 2021 and won a conference title in 2021, a NCAA title in 2022 and another conference title in 2023. They have combined for seven all-conference honors and have scored 113 points (37 goals and 40 assists) collectively while posting an overall record of 67-7-7. Reale is a two-time All-American and was the Honda Award winner in 2022, as well as the Most Outstanding Defensive Player at the 2022 College Cup.
Although not in that senior class, Fontes has also accomplished much in her time at UCLA. After redshirting the 2019 season with a torn ACL, she competed in the 2020 season and helped UCLA win the Pac-12 title, the first of three Fontes has been a part of (2020, 2021, 2023). She was the leading scorer for the 2022 NCAA champion Bruins with 11 goals and 30 points and now has 22 career goals, 15 assists and 59 points.
IMPACT TRANSFERS
UCLA welcomed four experienced transfers to the squad in 2024, including a pair of graduate transfers in goalkeeper Ryan Campbell (Stanford) and midfielder Meg Boade (Northwestern) who were named to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Players to Watch List. Campbell was the Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year and a first-team All-Region selection after recording 11 solo and two combined shutouts in 2023. She also led the conference with a 0.601 goals against average. Boade broke Northwestern's single-season assists record in 2023 with 14 assists and ranked second in the nation in assists per game with a 0.78 average. She is a two-time All-North Region and All-Big Ten honoree. UCLA also brought in a pair of former conference foes in senior midfielder Alice Barbieri (Oregon) and junior forward Lily Boyden (Washington State). Barbieri played in 55 games with 36 starts over her first three seasons and has nine career points. Boyden was a Pac-12 All-Freshman selection in 2022 after playing in 18 of 19 games for the Cougars and totaling two goals and three assists. Boyden did not play in 2023 after suffering an injury in the spring.
All four transfers have seen significant minutes this season. Campbell has recorded a nation-leading 13 shutouts and ranks third with a goals against average of 0.333 while playing every minute of every game. Boade has played in all 18 games with 14 starts, and she scored the game-winning goal against No. 16 BYU, along with assists against UC Riverside and Illinois. Boyden has started in eight contests and played in all 18, and Barbieri has started in nine games and played in 13.
NO. 2 RECRUITING CLASS
The Bruins boast Top Drawer Soccer's No. 2 recruiting class in the nation, led by six rookies ranked in the Top 50 in No. 12 Nicki Fraser, No. 15 Kamryn Winger, No. 19 Bella Winn, No. 39 Avery Robinson, No. 46 Kara Croone and No. 50 Paloma Daubert. Sammy Sanchez is also ranked at No. 64. Also joining the team were freshmen goalkeepers Layla Armas and Mariangela Medina and forward Jordan Geis. Five of the freshmen made their collegiate debuts in the season opener. Fraser, Winn and Geis earned starts, and Daubert and Sanchez logged double-digit minutes off the bench. Robinson made her debut against UC Riverside and recorded one shot and had a near-goal hit the crossbar at Cal Poly. Fraser has started in 14 games to lead the rookies, Geis has 12 starts, and Daubert has 11. Geis's game-winner at Oregon was her first collegiate goal and led her to her first Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week award. Daubert scored the game-winning goal against Minnesota, the first goal of her collegiate career. Croone made her collegiate debut on Oct. 13 at Illinois and had one shot on goal in 10 minutes of play.
SISTER ACT
Sophomore forward Sophie Reale made her collegiate debut in the season opener after redshirting the 2023 campaign, playing 36 minutes and recording two shots, including one on goal. The game marked the first time Reale and her older sister Lilly have played together in their collegiate careers and the first time that two Bruin sisters have played in the same game since Anika and Karina Rodriguez played together in 2019. Both Reale sisters made the starting lineup for the first time in the Cal Poly match, with Lilly scoring the game-winning goal.
NWSL BRUINS
A total of 20 UCLA women's soccer alumnae have been on NWSL rosters in 2024, including four from the 2023 squad. Reilyn Turner, a 99-point scorer for the Bruins and a 2023 All-American, was the No. 6 overall draft pick for Racing Louisville FC and is now playing with the Portland Thorns. Ally Lemos, who started every game of her two-year collegiate career and was a two-time all-region selection, was drafted by the Orlando Pride as the No. 9 overall pick. Ally Cook did not get drafted but earned a roster spot with the Chicago Red Stars. Cook ranked second on the team in scoring last season with nine goals and 19 points. Additionally, JaNae DeFazio was added to the Kansas City Current roster in July and made her debut on July 28. DeFazio is now playing for Racing Power FC in Portugal.
Date: Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024 – 12 p.m. PT
Location: Carson, Calif. (Dignity Health Sports Park)
Broadcast: Big Ten Network
Talent: Christian Miles, Tracey Bailey
Live Stats: uclalivestats.com
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets: Free Admission (register here)
Entrance: NW Entrance; Gates Open at 11am
Parking: $25 in advance (pre-pay here), $30 on site
UCLA VS. USC IN BATTLE FOR LA, BIG TEN BRAGGING RIGHTS
The Crosstown Showdown stakes got bigger this year with Sunday's matchup between No. 8 UCLA (13-2-3, 8-0-2 in the Big Ten) and No. 6 USC (13-1-2, 9-0-1) deciding the winner of the Big Ten Conference regular season title. A UCLA win would give the Bruins their second-straight conference title, while a USC win or tie would give the Trojans their first since 1998. The matchup will take place at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif., home of the Los Angeles Galaxy. Kickoff is at Noon. Gates open at 11am at the Northwest Entrance. Admission is free. Tickets can be reserved at usctrojans.com/dignity.
BIG TEN RACE
The Big Ten regular season title and No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament will come down to the two Los Angeles schools in their first year in the conference. UCLA is seeking its 15th regular season conference title after winning 14 in the Pac-12 Conference, including last year's. USC is attempting to win its second. The Trojans' only other conference title was a co-championship in 1998 with UCLA and Cal. USC is alone atop the table with 28 points. UCLA has 26, and Iowa is close behind with 25. Iowa will face Minnesota on Sunday in its final regular season game. An Iowa win coupled with a UCLA tie or loss would put the Hawkeyes into the No. 2 seed. UCLA would still retain the No. 2 seed if tied in the standings, due to the second tiebreaker, which is record vs. common opponents. UCLA has 23 points to Iowa's 22.
LAST TIME OUT
No. 10 UCLA kept its Big Ten regular season title hopes alive after beating No. 15 Ohio State, 1-0. Senior Jayden Perry scored the game's only goal in the 61st minute on a penalty kick. The Bruins were awarded the penalty kick after Peyton Marcisz drove through traffic in the box. An Ohio State defender stepped in to clear but cleared it off a teammate's arm for a handball in the box. UCLA's defense earned its nation-leading 13th shutout, allowing zero shots in the second half and just four in the game. Bruin goalkeeper Ryan Campbell made three saves to earn the clean sheet.
IN THE RANKINGS
UCLA moved up two spots to No. 8 in the United Soccer Coaches rankings and jumped up three spots to No. 10 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll. The Bruins are No. 15 in the NCAA RPI.
SCOUTING THE TROJANS
USC is 13-1-2 overall and leads the Big Ten with a 9-0-1 record. The Trojans are on a 10-game unbeaten streak and have won six in a row. Maile Hayes leads USC in scoring with seven goals and 16 points. Three other Trojan players are in double-figures in points scored - Maria Alagoa (12), Kayla Colbert (11) and Helena Sampaio. Goalkeeper Laurence Gladu has played every minute of every game and has a 0.75 goals against average with eight shutouts. USC is led by head coach Jane Alukonis, who was an assistant at UCLA from 2018-21.
THE SERIES WITH USC
UCLA owns a 28-7-3 record all-time against USC and won last year's contest, 4-2, in Westwood. The Bruins scored three goals in the first half to surge ahead, 3-1, and a Bridgette Marin-Valencia penalty kick gave UCLA a 4-1 lead in the 81st minute. USC's last win came at home in 2022, 2-0. In the last 10 meetings between the two teams, UCLA is 6-2-2.
The Crosstown Showdown has taken place twice before at Dignity Health Park. UCLA won the first meeting, 1-0, in 2016, on a first-half goal by Annie Alvarado. In 2018, the Bruins took the victory, 3-2, in an overtime thriller. USC's Penelope Hocking broke a 1-1 tie at 86:26, only to see Hailie Mace hit a bomb from 30 yards out just six seconds later to tie. The Trojans had another opportunity to score in the final seconds of regulation, but Bruin goalkeeper Teagan Micah leaped up to tip Hocking's shot out of play as time expired. UCLA ended the contest in the fifth minute of the second overtime period on Olivia Athens' header for the game-winner.
AOZASA EARNS 50TH CAREER WIN IN 60 GAMES
With UCLA's 3-1 win at Illinois on Oct. 13, Bruin head coach Margueritte Aozasa earned her 50th career win in just 60 games. Aozasa, alongside assistants Gof Boyoko and Molly Poletto, won the NCAA Championship in her first year in 2022, winning 22 games. Her career record in three seasons is now 51-6-5.
SHUTOUT CITY
With 13 shutouts in 18 games, UCLA and goalkeeper Ryan Campbell are among the nation's defensive leaders. Campbell ranks first the nation with 13 shutouts and third with a 0.333 goals against average. The Bruin team ranks second in team goals against average (0.333) and is fourth in shutout percentage (0.722). They have more than twice as many shutouts as goals allowed (six). UCLA began the season with five consecutive shutouts, becoming just the second team in school history to accomplish the feat (the 2014 Bruins started out with six shutouts in a row). Campbell compiled 519 consecutive shutout minutes, just shy of Katelyn Rowland's single-season school record 638-minute shutout streak in 2014.
Campbell, a graduate transfer from Stanford, is climbing up UCLA's single-season goalkeeping records. Her 13 shutouts are tied for third all-time with Ashley Thompson in 2008. Only Katelyn Rowland, who holds the NCAA record with 19 shutouts in 2014, has had more in a season (Rowland also owns the No. 2 mark at UCLA with 15 in 2013). Campbell is one shutout away from breaking into UCLA's Top 10 for career shutouts in just one season. She totaled 19 in two years as a starter at Stanford.
REALE RATED NO. 1
Senior defender Lilly Reale was rated the No. 1 player in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer in its Midseason Player Rankings. Reale has led UCLA's defense to more than twice as many shutouts as goals allowed, as the Bruins have recorded 13 shutouts and allowed just six goals. She has also scored one goal, making an 85-yard run and scoring far post to score the game-winner at Cal Poly, and recorded two assists on game-winners against Santa Clara and BYU. Top Drawer Soccer noted, "Whether displaying her outstanding passing range on a cross-field switch, her athleticism on a ball-carrying drive, or her elite defensive instincts on a timely interception, Reale is the best player in college soccer." Reale is a two-time All-American and two-time conference defensive player of the year. In 2022, she won the Honda Sport Award and was named the Most Valuable Defensive Player at the College Cup.
ASSISTS QUEEN
Senior defender Quincy McMahon enters this week's game just one assist shy of breaking into UCLA's Top 10 for career assists. She currently has 22 assists, one behind Caprice Dydasco (2011-14), Jenna Richmond (2010-13) and Lauren Wilmoth (2006-09), who are tied for ninth with 23. Lauren Barnes (2007-10) would be the next target, ranking eighth with 25. McMahon led the Bruins in assists last season with seven. She also totaled seven assists as a freshman in 2021. This season, McMahon is tied for second on the team in scoring with eight points (three goals, two assists). She has scored three goals in her last six games. McMahon was named UCLA's Student-Athlete of the Week after scoring the game-winning goal in the Bruins' 1-0 win over Washington on Oct. 5. The week prior, she earned her sixth career conference defensive player of the week honor.
WHAT'S COOKING?
Junior midfielder Sofia Cook is tied for first on the team in goals scored with four and is tied for second in points with eight. Three of her four goals have been game-winners - in the 43rd minute of a 1-0 win over Santa Clara, in the 28th minute of a 1-0 victory at Indiana, and in the 57th minute of a 2-0 win at Purdue. She ranks seventh in the Big Ten with three game-winning goals and has totaled 12 goals and six assists in her career.
FONTES MAKES TRIUMPHANT RETURN
Graduate student Sunshine Fontes has made a triumphant return back to play after missing the second half of 2023 with an ACL injury. Seeing her first action of the season at Oregon on Sept. 14, Fontes scored the tying goal in the 80th minute of UCLA's comeback victory. On Sept. 29 against Minnesota, she recorded a pair of assists, including an assist on the game-winner. She has played in eight games so far this season and played in a season-high 43 minutes against Ohio State. Fontes' Bruin career began on the sidelines, as her 2019 season was lost rehabbing an ACL injury suffered in her final high school game. She earned Pac-12 All-Freshman honors in her return season in 2020, ranking third on the team with five goals scored, and in 2022, she led the Bruins' NCAA Championship team in scoring with 11 goals and 30 points. Fontes was the team's leading scorer in 2023 with five goals and 11 points before her injury at Washington on Sept. 28.
VIVA MEXICO
UCLA's trio of Mexican Under-20 National Team players - America Frias, Mariangela Medina and Val Vargas - are back with the Bruins after missing the first nine games while playing at the FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup. Frias started for the Bruins in her first game back at Indiana, and Vargas played 73 minutes in that contest. Both Frias and Vargas started in UCLA's last eight games. Another Mexican Youth National Team player - Bridgette Marin-Valencia - has been with the Bruins all season and is leading the team in goals with four and points with 10.
Mexico advanced to the round of 16 at the World Cup, where they fell in extra time to the United States, 3-2. All three Bruins played in the game. Vargas started and scored a first-half goal. Frias was a second-half sub, and Medina came into the game late in the overtime. Just two minutes after entering the game, Medina was forced into a penalty kick situation and made the save to keep Mexico within one.
UCLA VS. BIG TEN
The Bruins are now 110-18-8 (.838) all-time against Big Ten teams and 33-5-2 (.850) vs. their new conference mates. UCLA has been extra formidable against the Big Ten in the NCAA Tournament, sporting a 12-2 record.
BRUINS EARN NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Five UCLA women's soccer players earned national preseason recognition ahead of the 2024 season. Senior defender Lilly Reale and graduate goalkeeper Ryan Campbell were selected to MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Best XI first team and the NCAA Division I Women's Players to Watch List. They were joined on the NCAA Players to Watch list by senior defender Quincy McMahon and graduate midfielder Meg Boade. Defender Nicki Fraser was selected to the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Freshman Team. On the conference front, Reale, Boade and Emma Egizii were selected to the Big Ten Players to Watch List.
WELCOME BACK
UCLA returned seven starters from last season's conference championship team and seven all-conference players in Defensive Player of the Year Lilly Reale, Quincy McMahon, Sofia Cook, Ayo Oke, Jayden Perry, Sunshine Fontes and Lexi Wright. Additionally, Val Vargas earned all-freshman honors a year ago.
The Bruins' senior class has been prolific. Reale, McMahon, Perry, Wright and Emma Egizii entered together in 2021 and won a conference title in 2021, a NCAA title in 2022 and another conference title in 2023. They have combined for seven all-conference honors and have scored 113 points (37 goals and 40 assists) collectively while posting an overall record of 67-7-7. Reale is a two-time All-American and was the Honda Award winner in 2022, as well as the Most Outstanding Defensive Player at the 2022 College Cup.
Although not in that senior class, Fontes has also accomplished much in her time at UCLA. After redshirting the 2019 season with a torn ACL, she competed in the 2020 season and helped UCLA win the Pac-12 title, the first of three Fontes has been a part of (2020, 2021, 2023). She was the leading scorer for the 2022 NCAA champion Bruins with 11 goals and 30 points and now has 22 career goals, 15 assists and 59 points.
IMPACT TRANSFERS
UCLA welcomed four experienced transfers to the squad in 2024, including a pair of graduate transfers in goalkeeper Ryan Campbell (Stanford) and midfielder Meg Boade (Northwestern) who were named to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Players to Watch List. Campbell was the Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year and a first-team All-Region selection after recording 11 solo and two combined shutouts in 2023. She also led the conference with a 0.601 goals against average. Boade broke Northwestern's single-season assists record in 2023 with 14 assists and ranked second in the nation in assists per game with a 0.78 average. She is a two-time All-North Region and All-Big Ten honoree. UCLA also brought in a pair of former conference foes in senior midfielder Alice Barbieri (Oregon) and junior forward Lily Boyden (Washington State). Barbieri played in 55 games with 36 starts over her first three seasons and has nine career points. Boyden was a Pac-12 All-Freshman selection in 2022 after playing in 18 of 19 games for the Cougars and totaling two goals and three assists. Boyden did not play in 2023 after suffering an injury in the spring.
All four transfers have seen significant minutes this season. Campbell has recorded a nation-leading 13 shutouts and ranks third with a goals against average of 0.333 while playing every minute of every game. Boade has played in all 18 games with 14 starts, and she scored the game-winning goal against No. 16 BYU, along with assists against UC Riverside and Illinois. Boyden has started in eight contests and played in all 18, and Barbieri has started in nine games and played in 13.
NO. 2 RECRUITING CLASS
The Bruins boast Top Drawer Soccer's No. 2 recruiting class in the nation, led by six rookies ranked in the Top 50 in No. 12 Nicki Fraser, No. 15 Kamryn Winger, No. 19 Bella Winn, No. 39 Avery Robinson, No. 46 Kara Croone and No. 50 Paloma Daubert. Sammy Sanchez is also ranked at No. 64. Also joining the team were freshmen goalkeepers Layla Armas and Mariangela Medina and forward Jordan Geis. Five of the freshmen made their collegiate debuts in the season opener. Fraser, Winn and Geis earned starts, and Daubert and Sanchez logged double-digit minutes off the bench. Robinson made her debut against UC Riverside and recorded one shot and had a near-goal hit the crossbar at Cal Poly. Fraser has started in 14 games to lead the rookies, Geis has 12 starts, and Daubert has 11. Geis's game-winner at Oregon was her first collegiate goal and led her to her first Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week award. Daubert scored the game-winning goal against Minnesota, the first goal of her collegiate career. Croone made her collegiate debut on Oct. 13 at Illinois and had one shot on goal in 10 minutes of play.
SISTER ACT
Sophomore forward Sophie Reale made her collegiate debut in the season opener after redshirting the 2023 campaign, playing 36 minutes and recording two shots, including one on goal. The game marked the first time Reale and her older sister Lilly have played together in their collegiate careers and the first time that two Bruin sisters have played in the same game since Anika and Karina Rodriguez played together in 2019. Both Reale sisters made the starting lineup for the first time in the Cal Poly match, with Lilly scoring the game-winning goal.
NWSL BRUINS
A total of 20 UCLA women's soccer alumnae have been on NWSL rosters in 2024, including four from the 2023 squad. Reilyn Turner, a 99-point scorer for the Bruins and a 2023 All-American, was the No. 6 overall draft pick for Racing Louisville FC and is now playing with the Portland Thorns. Ally Lemos, who started every game of her two-year collegiate career and was a two-time all-region selection, was drafted by the Orlando Pride as the No. 9 overall pick. Ally Cook did not get drafted but earned a roster spot with the Chicago Red Stars. Cook ranked second on the team in scoring last season with nine goals and 19 points. Additionally, JaNae DeFazio was added to the Kansas City Current roster in July and made her debut on July 28. DeFazio is now playing for Racing Power FC in Portugal.
Players Mentioned
GK
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
D/F
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's SoccerHighlights - UCLA W. Soccer vs. Pepperdine (Nov. 15, 2025)
Sunday, November 16
Highlights - UCLA W. Soccer vs. Penn State (Nov. 1, 2025)
Saturday, November 01
Highlights - UCLA W. Soccer vs. Nebraska (Oct. 19, 2025)
Sunday, October 19
Highlights - UCLA W. Soccer vs. Iowa (Oct. 16, 2025)
Friday, October 17