Friday, November 22
7:00 PM
UCLA
17-4-3, 8-1-2
1
vs
2
Virginia Tech
13-5-3, 6-2-2
1
2
F
Virginia Tech
0
2
2
UCLA
0
1
1
Photo by: Ross Turteltaub
UCLA Downed by Virginia Tech, 2-1, in NCAA Second Round
November 22, 2024 | Women's Soccer
LOS ANGELES - No. 2 seed UCLA was upset by No. 7 seed Virginia Tech, 2-1, in the NCAA second round Friday night. After a scoreless first half, the Bruins gave up two goals in two minutes to find themselves down 2-0 in the 53rd minute. Senior Ayo Oke pulled UCLA to within one with a goal in the 60th minute, but the Bruins were unable to find the equalizer before time expired.
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A rare Bruin mistake on the defensive end led to Virginia Tech's first goal. In the 51st minute, a mishit clearance in the back on a chip into the box by Allie George got past Ryan Campbell for an own goal. Less than two minutes later, the Hokies struck again, with George feeding a pass through to Natalie Mitchell, who got ahead of the defense and fired past Campbell for the 2-0 lead.
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Oke got one back for UCLA seven minutes later. Quincy McMahon fought through four defenders on the left side and sent off a cross across the goalmouth that caught Hokies goalkeeper Lauren Hargrove diving. Oke got to the cross at the right corner and blasted it far post to put the Bruins on the board.ย
The Bruins fought to find the equalizer. In the 74th minute, America Frias's shot was saved by Hargrove. In the 81st minute McMahon just missed target on a hard shot. Nicki Fraser also had a shot saved by Hargrove in the 84th minute, which ended up being the Bruins' final shot of the game.
ย
"Soccer is a tough sport," said UCLA head coach Margueritte Aozasa. "I thought we had more than enough out there to win the game, even when we went down 2-0. Those last 30 minutes, it really felt like we were going to come back. Sometimes it happens, and sometimes it doesn't. It's unfortunate. We didn't give up bad goals all year, and we gave up two tonight, back-to-back."
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UCLA had several chances to strike first early in the first half. In the 17th minute, Bridgette Marin-Valencia hit a free kick to the right post, but Hargrove dove to make the save. Sofia Cook missed right on a shot a few moments later.
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Virginia Tech (13-5-3) gave the Bruins a nervous moment in theย 28th minute when a ball was played into Sarah Rosenbaum in the box. It redirected off her and was headed towards goal, but Frias was there to clear it off the line.
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The Hokies advance to the third round to face Iowa at Wallis Annenberg Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 6pm. Iowa defeated Georgetown earlier in the day, 1-0. UCLA finishes its season with a 17-4-3 record.
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"People on the outside don't always know the adversities that we faced this year," Aozasa said. "And there were a lot of crossroads that we faced where this team had a choice to either let it go by the wayside or really dig in and make something of this season. When you look back on it, we got second place in the conference, we win the Big Ten Tournament, and that was not easy. It came from everybody on the team just finding a way to be successful."
ย
ย
A rare Bruin mistake on the defensive end led to Virginia Tech's first goal. In the 51st minute, a mishit clearance in the back on a chip into the box by Allie George got past Ryan Campbell for an own goal. Less than two minutes later, the Hokies struck again, with George feeding a pass through to Natalie Mitchell, who got ahead of the defense and fired past Campbell for the 2-0 lead.
ย
Oke got one back for UCLA seven minutes later. Quincy McMahon fought through four defenders on the left side and sent off a cross across the goalmouth that caught Hokies goalkeeper Lauren Hargrove diving. Oke got to the cross at the right corner and blasted it far post to put the Bruins on the board.ย
ยAyo Oke cuts the Hokies' lead in half with 30 to play!
โ UCLA Women's Soccer (@UCLAWSoccer) November 23, 2024
VaTech 2, UCLA 1
??: ESPN+#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/WFLuJWk4tD
The Bruins fought to find the equalizer. In the 74th minute, America Frias's shot was saved by Hargrove. In the 81st minute McMahon just missed target on a hard shot. Nicki Fraser also had a shot saved by Hargrove in the 84th minute, which ended up being the Bruins' final shot of the game.
ย
"Soccer is a tough sport," said UCLA head coach Margueritte Aozasa. "I thought we had more than enough out there to win the game, even when we went down 2-0. Those last 30 minutes, it really felt like we were going to come back. Sometimes it happens, and sometimes it doesn't. It's unfortunate. We didn't give up bad goals all year, and we gave up two tonight, back-to-back."
ย
UCLA had several chances to strike first early in the first half. In the 17th minute, Bridgette Marin-Valencia hit a free kick to the right post, but Hargrove dove to make the save. Sofia Cook missed right on a shot a few moments later.
ย
Virginia Tech (13-5-3) gave the Bruins a nervous moment in theย 28th minute when a ball was played into Sarah Rosenbaum in the box. It redirected off her and was headed towards goal, but Frias was there to clear it off the line.
ย
The Hokies advance to the third round to face Iowa at Wallis Annenberg Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 6pm. Iowa defeated Georgetown earlier in the day, 1-0. UCLA finishes its season with a 17-4-3 record.
ย
"People on the outside don't always know the adversities that we faced this year," Aozasa said. "And there were a lot of crossroads that we faced where this team had a choice to either let it go by the wayside or really dig in and make something of this season. When you look back on it, we got second place in the conference, we win the Big Ten Tournament, and that was not easy. It came from everybody on the team just finding a way to be successful."
ย
Team Stats
VaTech
UCL
Goals
2
1
Shots
4
14
Shots on Goal
4
6
Saves
5
2
Corners
1
10
Fouls
12
7
Scoring Plays
0
GOAL by VaTech TEAM.
50:51
Natalie Mitchell (5)
Assisted By: Emma Pelkowski , Allie George
GOAL by VaTech Mitchell, Natalie Assist by Pelkowski, Emma and George, Allie.
52:38
Ayo Oke (2)
Assisted By: Quincy McMahon
GOAL by UCL Oke, Ayo Assist by McMahon, Quincy.
59:47
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
mid
Shots
3
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
def
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
GK
/ Women's SoccerMF
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's SoccerD/F
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