This past Saturday evening, the No. 3-ranked UCLA women’s soccer team was not intimidated in facing the defending national champion North Carolina Tar Heels in front of 3,372 fans at the Tar Heels’ Fetzer Field.
But the Bruins certainly did not look ready.
The Bruins were routed 7-2 by North Carolina, but the match already seemed out of reach for UCLA within the first 15 minutes of play.
UNC scored its first goal in 41 seconds when Tar Heel senior midfielder Tobin Heath found the loose ball from a Carolina throw-in and knocked it into the lower left corner of the UCLA goal.
“We talked about “¦ how it is more important for us to play a little bit more direct in the opening minutes because North Carolina, they create chaos in the first (few minutes),” coach Jillian Ellis said.
In the 4th minute, Tar Heel junior midfielder Ali Hawkins received a tapped pass from sophomore forward Courtney Jones and beat UCLA sophomore goalkeeper Yiana Dimmitt by converting a 6-yard shot into the net.
“We certainly didn’t help ourselves,” Ellis said. “Another mental error on our part, and we give the ball away. At that point, we were in a big hole in the first five minutes of the game.”
The Bruins allowed a third Carolina goal in the 13th minute, when Tar Heel senior Casey Nogueira sent a line drive into the bottom right corner of the goal.
Nogueira would score again in the second half after receiving a pass from teammate Brittani Bartok in the 60th minute.
At halftime, Ellis highlighted three things for her team. The first two were the final pass and the movement of UCLA’s midfielders and forwards.
“The third thing I talked about was character,” Ellis said. “We have to get something out of this game. We need to go out and (play) the second half. I said to the players ““ clearly you want to win against North Carolina today ““ but it’s more about the experience you get out of the game.”
After the scoreboard reached 5-0 in favor of North Carolina during the second half, UCLA registered its first goal of the game in the 76th minute when sophomore forward Sydney Leroux caught the rebound off freshman midfielder Zakiya Bywaters’ shot and tapped the ball into the net.
Leroux would score again in the 87th minute off an assist from senior forward Kristina Larsen.
The game did not slow down from there, as the two teams traded three goals between the 86th and the 89th minute.
The Tar Heels put their final stamp on the match at the 88:08 mark when Hawkins fed the ball to teammate Emmalie Pfankuch, who finished a 12-yard shot from the left side of the goal.
Ellis said that the staff will evaluate the players and watch some films before UCLA’s next game also on the road against San Diego on Friday.
“Every game, whether you win or lose, you learn something from it,” Ellis said.
“But what we’ll take going forward is some of the areas that we have to get better. The first game of the season ““ whenever you have a game under your belt, it helps, so we’ll certainly rebound from this.”