The Bruins have met the best and beat the best in the nation, and they did so on the backs of their leading stars.
No. 3 UCLA women’s soccer (5-0) stormed back to down No. 1 North Carolina (5-1) on the road 2-1 on Sunday. The Tar Heels had broken the scoreless tie in the 48th minute, putting the Bruins’ backs up against the wall in a stadium that hadn’t seen a visiting nonconference opponent win a match since 2014.
Sophomore forward Lexi Wright got UCLA back into it with an equalizer in the 61st, and then it was up to graduate goalkeeper Lauren Brzykcy to prevent UNC from answering.
Brzykcy made five saves on the day, four of which came in the second half and each being more spectacular than the last. Leaping saves in the 67th and 76th helped keep the Tar Heels off the board, despite their incessant attack and domination of possession down the stretch.
The Bruins needed one last push to pull off the upset, and that’s exactly what they got when Wright dumped a clearance from the top of the box to midfield on the right sideline. Defender Tori Hansen went to track it down and give North Carolina another chance, but junior forward Reilyn Turner had other plans.
Turner came up from behind Hansen and lowered a shoulder into the Tar Heel, completing the tackle and keeping the ball in bounds. With plenty of space and only one defender between her and the goal, Turner took it the distance and launched a strike off her right foot from 18 yards out.
The ball just squeezed between a diving goalkeeper and the right post, and UCLA had taken the lead in the 84th minute.
Any chance the Tar Heels had to tie it back up in the few remaining minutes was immediately snuffed out, and the Bruins would hold on to win.
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The victory came just three days after UCLA toppled No. 2 Duke, also on the road, positioning the Bruins to become the new No. 1 team in the country when the latest polls are released. UCLA was ranked No. 13 in the preseason polls, but it turns out first-year coach Margueritte Aozasa needed just three weeks to turn them into the team to beat.
Aozasa has also molded these Bruins into true road warriors, with the latest result marking the third consecutive win away from Westwood for the team.
UCLA managed to weather the storm in a hostile environment, despite getting outshot 16-7. UNC also had 10 corners to UCLA’s one, and the Tar Heels proved to be more physical, getting called for 11 fouls compared to the Bruins’ six.
Turner brought the physicality to the table right when it was needed the most, though, avoiding a whistle and capitalizing on her strong tackle. North Carolina’s fans didn’t seem to agree with the no-call, and neither did their coaches, who were disciplined by the referee in the moments following Turner’s game-winner.
UCLA will have a week before it takes the pitch again, with its next match scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m. on Sept. 11 back at home versus Cal State Fullerton.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF UCLA ATHLETICS
