Oruha Hayashi
Photo by: Mac Brown
No. 23 UCLA Hosts Long Beach State Friday Night
August 27, 2025 | Women's Soccer
No. 23 UCLA (1-2) vs. Long Beach State (1-3)
Date: Friday, Aug. 29, 2025 – 7:00 p.m. PT
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Wallis Annenberg Stadium)
Ticket Price: $17 adults/$9 youth / UCLA students free with BruinCard
Advance Tickets: uclabruins.com/tickets
Theme: Women of Westwood Night
Giveaway: Women of Westwood pin to first 400 fans
Broadcast: B1G+
Talent: Nick Koop, Sophie Wimmer
Live Stats: statbroadcast.com
BRUINS HOST LONG BEACH STATE FRIDAY
No. 23 UCLA (1-2) will host Long Beach State (1-3) on Friday, Aug. 29 at Wallis Annenberg Stadium on Women of Westwood night. The match will start at 7 p.m. PT and will air on Big Ten Plus.
SCOUTING THE BEACH
Long Beach State lost a pair of road games last week, falling to Washington, 3-0, on Thursday and 2-1 to Portland on Sunday. The Beach is led by 2023 Big West Offensive Player of the Year Cherrie Cox, who led the conference with 13 goals two seasons ago but missed the 2024 season due to injury. Raddison Banks leads the team this year withtwo goals and four points, while Cox has three points on one goal and one assist.
THE SERIES WITH LONG BEACH STATE
UCLA leads the all-time series with Long Beach State, 10-1, and has won seven in a row. The Bruins won last season's matchup in Long Beach, 3-0, after a two-goal performance by Emma Egizii and a one-goal, one-assist effort by Bridgette Marin-Valencia. In 2023, UCLA won at home, 4-0, thanks to a Sunshine Fontes hat trick. The Beach's lone victory over the Bruins came in 2015, 1-0.
LAST TIME OUT
A first-half penalty kick by BYU provided the only scoring as No. 4 UCLA fell to the No. 19 Cougars at a sold-out South Field on Saturday, 1-0, the Bruins' second consecutive to a ranked opponent by that score. The Cougars were awarded a penalty kick in the 14th minute after a video review, calling Grace Shank for a foul in the box. Former Bruin Ellie Walbruch took the penalty kick and shot to the right of UCLA goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor. The Bruin freshman guessed correctly and got a piece of it but was unable to prevent it from going into the back of the net. The score stood through the rest of the match despite the Bruins outshooting BYU, 19-11 overall and 12-4 in the second half. UCLA had just three shots on goal.
IN THE RANKINGS
UCLA dropped from No. 4 to No. 23 in the United Soccer Coaches poll and to No. 12 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll. Every team that the Bruins have played this year are now ranked in the Top 15 of the coaches' poll - No. 2 Tennessee, No. 11 BYU and No. 13 Georgia.
DEFENSE HOLDING STRONG
In three games, UCLA's defense has held opponents to just 23 shots (7.7 average) and seven shots on goal. The Bruins allowed just one shot in their matchup against No. 6 Tennessee, but that one shot went in for the game's only goal. UCLA's highest total of shots on goal allowed so far this season was seven in a shutout win at Georgia in the season opener. Freshman goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor has allowed just two goals and holds a 0.67 goals against average with one shutout.
BRUIN DEBUTS
Eight players made their Bruin debuts in the season opener, including six freshmen. Making starts were senior transfer Jennie Immethun and freshmen Daphne Nakfoor, Grace Shank, Leena Powell and Meila Brewer. Coming in off the bench were junior transfer Oruha Hayashi and freshmen Leila Edris and Payten Cooper. Against Tennessee in game two, freshman Sofia Atehortua earned her first career minutes.
COMEBACK COMPLETE
Redshirt seniors Emma Egizii and Lexi Wright and sophomore forward Bella Winn have all returned to action after missing most, if not all, of the 2024 season with injuries. Egizii scored two goals in three games before getting injured during game four of the season. Her return to play in UCLA's exhibition win against LMU was highlighted by a left-footed rocket that gave UCLA a 3-0 lead in the second half. Winn recorded a goal and an assist in the Bruins' first two games of 2024 but was injured while scoring her goal in game two and did not return the rest of the year. She scored the game-winning goal in UCLA's 1-0 road win at Georgia in the season opener and has a goal or assist in three of her five career games. Wright suffered her injury early in preseason training in 2024 and has played in every game this season. All three players started for the Bruins in the last two games.
EGIZII, IMMETHUN, WRIGHT NAMED TO WATCH LIST
Bruin seniors Emma Egizii, Jennie Immethun and Lexi Wright were selected to the Big Ten Players to Watch List. Both Egizii and Wright are coming off redshirt seasons, as they each suffered season-ending injuries early in 2024. Wright ranked third on the Bruin team in scoring in both 2022 (22 points) and 2023 (15 points) and was an all-conference performer in 2023. Egizii scored two goals in just three games a year ago prior to her injury and has five career goals. Wright and Egizii each played on UCLA's 2022 NCAA Championship team. Immethun enters her first year as a Bruin after transferring from TCU, where she was an All-Big 12 defender and 20-game starter in 2024.
GOOD WORK, LEXI
Redshirt senior Lexi Wright was selected as a member of the inaugural Allstate NACDA Good Works Team (Fall). The award recognizes male and female student-athletes across all divisions and sports who go above and beyond in their commitment to community service, academic achievement and athletic performance. Wright supports children with cancer through Zoe's Goal-Scoring Against Childhood Cancer, a non-profit organization that raises awareness about pediatric cancer, advocates for research and funding and supports young cancer patients. Wright does regular hospital visits to UCLA's Mattel Children's Hospital to visit with patients and has worked with the UCLA campus organization Unified, which plays sports with special needs kids weekly and holds an Inclusive Sports Day. She also volunteers with Football For Her, a non-profit organization that provides a safe space and motivates those who identify as female or non-binary to play, regardless of their economic standing.
IMPACT TRANSFERS
UCLA welcomes two experienced transfers to the squad in 2025 - defender Jennie Immethun and forward Oruha Hayashi. Immethun comes to UCLA from TCU, where she earned second-team All-Big 12 honors in 2024. She started 20 games in 2024 while helping the Big 12 champions record seven shutouts, and in 2023, she started in 10 games. Oruha joined the Bruins after two years at Iowa Western, where she twice won the United Soccer Coaches Player of the Year for Junior College Division 1. Oruha, who scored 25 goals in 2024 and 19 in 2023, was selected the 2024-25 Betty Jo Graber NJCAA Female Student-Athlete of the Year. Both have already made big impacts on their new team, as Immethun was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after helping the Bruins record a shutout in the season opener. Hayashi scored a goal in the Bruins' exhibition win over LMU.
WELCOME FRESHMEN
The Bruins brought in a dynamic recruiting class, highlighted by U.S. Youth National Team players Sofia Atehortua, Meila Brewer, Cassidy Doogan, Daphne Nakfoor, Leena Powell and Grace Shank, and Egyptian Youth National Team player Laila Edris. Powell played in the 2025 U-20 Concacaf Championships, and Brewer just helped lead the U-17s to the 4 Nations Tournament title. Also joining UCLA in 2025 are freshmen Payten Cooper, Jordyn Dunn, Siena Meyer and Julia Molnar. All 11 freshmen saw action in the Bruins' exhibition against LMU. Nakfoor and Powell have started in each of UCLA's first three games. Brewer started in the first two before departing for the rest of the month after being called up to the U.S. Under-17 National Team for a pair of games in Spain on Aug. 28 and 31.
ACADEMIC HONORS
For the 14th 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 2024-25 academic year. The Bruins posted a team GPA of 3.26, their sixth consecutive year over 3.25. A total of 15 players were named to the Academic All-Big Ten team in the fall.
Date: Friday, Aug. 29, 2025 – 7:00 p.m. PT
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Wallis Annenberg Stadium)
Ticket Price: $17 adults/$9 youth / UCLA students free with BruinCard
Advance Tickets: uclabruins.com/tickets
Theme: Women of Westwood Night
Giveaway: Women of Westwood pin to first 400 fans
Broadcast: B1G+
Talent: Nick Koop, Sophie Wimmer
Live Stats: statbroadcast.com
BRUINS HOST LONG BEACH STATE FRIDAY
No. 23 UCLA (1-2) will host Long Beach State (1-3) on Friday, Aug. 29 at Wallis Annenberg Stadium on Women of Westwood night. The match will start at 7 p.m. PT and will air on Big Ten Plus.
SCOUTING THE BEACH
Long Beach State lost a pair of road games last week, falling to Washington, 3-0, on Thursday and 2-1 to Portland on Sunday. The Beach is led by 2023 Big West Offensive Player of the Year Cherrie Cox, who led the conference with 13 goals two seasons ago but missed the 2024 season due to injury. Raddison Banks leads the team this year withtwo goals and four points, while Cox has three points on one goal and one assist.
THE SERIES WITH LONG BEACH STATE
UCLA leads the all-time series with Long Beach State, 10-1, and has won seven in a row. The Bruins won last season's matchup in Long Beach, 3-0, after a two-goal performance by Emma Egizii and a one-goal, one-assist effort by Bridgette Marin-Valencia. In 2023, UCLA won at home, 4-0, thanks to a Sunshine Fontes hat trick. The Beach's lone victory over the Bruins came in 2015, 1-0.
LAST TIME OUT
A first-half penalty kick by BYU provided the only scoring as No. 4 UCLA fell to the No. 19 Cougars at a sold-out South Field on Saturday, 1-0, the Bruins' second consecutive to a ranked opponent by that score. The Cougars were awarded a penalty kick in the 14th minute after a video review, calling Grace Shank for a foul in the box. Former Bruin Ellie Walbruch took the penalty kick and shot to the right of UCLA goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor. The Bruin freshman guessed correctly and got a piece of it but was unable to prevent it from going into the back of the net. The score stood through the rest of the match despite the Bruins outshooting BYU, 19-11 overall and 12-4 in the second half. UCLA had just three shots on goal.
IN THE RANKINGS
UCLA dropped from No. 4 to No. 23 in the United Soccer Coaches poll and to No. 12 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll. Every team that the Bruins have played this year are now ranked in the Top 15 of the coaches' poll - No. 2 Tennessee, No. 11 BYU and No. 13 Georgia.
DEFENSE HOLDING STRONG
In three games, UCLA's defense has held opponents to just 23 shots (7.7 average) and seven shots on goal. The Bruins allowed just one shot in their matchup against No. 6 Tennessee, but that one shot went in for the game's only goal. UCLA's highest total of shots on goal allowed so far this season was seven in a shutout win at Georgia in the season opener. Freshman goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor has allowed just two goals and holds a 0.67 goals against average with one shutout.
BRUIN DEBUTS
Eight players made their Bruin debuts in the season opener, including six freshmen. Making starts were senior transfer Jennie Immethun and freshmen Daphne Nakfoor, Grace Shank, Leena Powell and Meila Brewer. Coming in off the bench were junior transfer Oruha Hayashi and freshmen Leila Edris and Payten Cooper. Against Tennessee in game two, freshman Sofia Atehortua earned her first career minutes.
COMEBACK COMPLETE
Redshirt seniors Emma Egizii and Lexi Wright and sophomore forward Bella Winn have all returned to action after missing most, if not all, of the 2024 season with injuries. Egizii scored two goals in three games before getting injured during game four of the season. Her return to play in UCLA's exhibition win against LMU was highlighted by a left-footed rocket that gave UCLA a 3-0 lead in the second half. Winn recorded a goal and an assist in the Bruins' first two games of 2024 but was injured while scoring her goal in game two and did not return the rest of the year. She scored the game-winning goal in UCLA's 1-0 road win at Georgia in the season opener and has a goal or assist in three of her five career games. Wright suffered her injury early in preseason training in 2024 and has played in every game this season. All three players started for the Bruins in the last two games.
EGIZII, IMMETHUN, WRIGHT NAMED TO WATCH LIST
Bruin seniors Emma Egizii, Jennie Immethun and Lexi Wright were selected to the Big Ten Players to Watch List. Both Egizii and Wright are coming off redshirt seasons, as they each suffered season-ending injuries early in 2024. Wright ranked third on the Bruin team in scoring in both 2022 (22 points) and 2023 (15 points) and was an all-conference performer in 2023. Egizii scored two goals in just three games a year ago prior to her injury and has five career goals. Wright and Egizii each played on UCLA's 2022 NCAA Championship team. Immethun enters her first year as a Bruin after transferring from TCU, where she was an All-Big 12 defender and 20-game starter in 2024.
GOOD WORK, LEXI
Redshirt senior Lexi Wright was selected as a member of the inaugural Allstate NACDA Good Works Team (Fall). The award recognizes male and female student-athletes across all divisions and sports who go above and beyond in their commitment to community service, academic achievement and athletic performance. Wright supports children with cancer through Zoe's Goal-Scoring Against Childhood Cancer, a non-profit organization that raises awareness about pediatric cancer, advocates for research and funding and supports young cancer patients. Wright does regular hospital visits to UCLA's Mattel Children's Hospital to visit with patients and has worked with the UCLA campus organization Unified, which plays sports with special needs kids weekly and holds an Inclusive Sports Day. She also volunteers with Football For Her, a non-profit organization that provides a safe space and motivates those who identify as female or non-binary to play, regardless of their economic standing.
IMPACT TRANSFERS
UCLA welcomes two experienced transfers to the squad in 2025 - defender Jennie Immethun and forward Oruha Hayashi. Immethun comes to UCLA from TCU, where she earned second-team All-Big 12 honors in 2024. She started 20 games in 2024 while helping the Big 12 champions record seven shutouts, and in 2023, she started in 10 games. Oruha joined the Bruins after two years at Iowa Western, where she twice won the United Soccer Coaches Player of the Year for Junior College Division 1. Oruha, who scored 25 goals in 2024 and 19 in 2023, was selected the 2024-25 Betty Jo Graber NJCAA Female Student-Athlete of the Year. Both have already made big impacts on their new team, as Immethun was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after helping the Bruins record a shutout in the season opener. Hayashi scored a goal in the Bruins' exhibition win over LMU.
WELCOME FRESHMEN
The Bruins brought in a dynamic recruiting class, highlighted by U.S. Youth National Team players Sofia Atehortua, Meila Brewer, Cassidy Doogan, Daphne Nakfoor, Leena Powell and Grace Shank, and Egyptian Youth National Team player Laila Edris. Powell played in the 2025 U-20 Concacaf Championships, and Brewer just helped lead the U-17s to the 4 Nations Tournament title. Also joining UCLA in 2025 are freshmen Payten Cooper, Jordyn Dunn, Siena Meyer and Julia Molnar. All 11 freshmen saw action in the Bruins' exhibition against LMU. Nakfoor and Powell have started in each of UCLA's first three games. Brewer started in the first two before departing for the rest of the month after being called up to the U.S. Under-17 National Team for a pair of games in Spain on Aug. 28 and 31.
ACADEMIC HONORS
For the 14th 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 2024-25 academic year. The Bruins posted a team GPA of 3.26, their sixth consecutive year over 3.25. A total of 15 players were named to the Academic All-Big Ten team in the fall.
Players Mentioned
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