LOS ANGELES (Oct. 30, 2026) - No. 14 UCLA closed the regular season with a wild 3-2 victory over crosstown rival USC. The Bruins (12-5-2, 9-2-1 in the Big Ten) secured the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament with the win. 

USC scored two goals in the final nine minutes of the game to tie the game at 2-2, but UCLA scored the game-winner on a Kara Croone penalty kick in the 88th minute after a VAR review determined a USC foul in the box. Croone scored two goals in the match, her seventh and eighth of the season.

After a scoreless first half, the Bruins wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard. In the 48th minute, Oruha Hayashi found Kara Croone on a through ball, and the speedy forward got ahead of her defender and beat goalkeeper Josie Biehl for the game's first goal.

The Bruins doubled their lead in the 66th minute after forward Payten Cooper was fouled hard in the box. Junior defender Paloma Daubert took the penalty kick and scored her first goal of the season. 

USC (2-10-6, 1-7-4) got one back in the 81st minute after a steal in the back third led to a Peyton Nakagawara blast that cut the Bruins' lead in half. The Trojans had an opportunity to tie in the 84th minute when Nakagawara got ahead of the Bruin defense, but Leena Powell recovered to send the ball out of bounds. But the Trojans were relentless and scored again in the 87th minute after Nakagawara put in a USC free kick into the back of the net in the 87th minute. 

With three minutes remaining, the Bruins kept up the pressure, and a long throw into the box led to a foul of Croone that was reviewed by VAR and called a foul. Croone nailed the penalty kick at 87:45 for the game-winner. 

UCLA was plenty dangerous in the first half but had nothing to show for it. The Bruins nearly scored in the first 30 seconds of the match, but Hayashi's shot went just wide. UCLA had several dangerous chances but were unable to get on frame until Cooper's shot was saved in the 32nd minute. 

The Trojans (2-10-6, 1-7-4) had a golden opportunity to score in the 29th minute after intercepting a pass in the back, but UCLA goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor made a diving save on Jaiden Rodriguez's shot. USC also just missed on a shot off a corner kick in the 52nd minute.

Nakfoor finished the game with three saves on 11 USC shots. Biehl saved eight of UCLA's 15 shots. 

The Bruins will next play the No. 7 seed in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 7pm CT at Energizer Park in St. Louis.