It wasn’t exactly a game reminiscent of a clash of the titans, but the way the Bruins dominated their opponents on Friday, they may have well turned a corner on their young season.
With a flurry of goals and a collective team effort, the No. 4 UCLA women’s soccer team turned in its most complete win yet, defeating Utah 6-1 in front of 683 at Drake Stadium to improve to 5-1-1 on the season.
“I definitely think this is a turning point,” senior forward Lauren Cheney said. “A lot of girls got playing time, and they were awesome. Everyone that came in for (the starters) kept it going “¦ and that’s all you can ask.”
Coach Jill Ellis, who picked up the 200th victory of her UCLA career, indeed utilized her bench in reaching the milestone, sending out a total of 12 bench players by the final horn.
“We feel like some of these players are key “¦ and they need more minutes,” she said. “It’s a huge bonus if we can rest our starters and even poke (them) a little.”
Nevertheless, it was the starters that set the tone early for the Bruins.
Cheney scored the game’s first goal at the 16:49 mark on a rebound after senior defender Dea Cook’s header off a free kick was blocked by Utah goalkeeper Hannah Turpen.
Cheney also nabbed the assist on the Bruin’s second goal in the 23rd minute, when redshirt senior forward Kara Lang shot the ball into the net from 32 yards out.
“In the first half, we were just getting into our rhythm,” Cheney said. “(Coach) has been talking about that killer instinct this whole year, and we finally did it (in the second half).”
Utah did manage to put up a goal when junior forward Lauren Hair scored from the left side in the 34th minute to make it 2-1, but that was as close as the Utes would come to pulling off an upset.
The Bruins scored off a pair of set pieces to start the second half.
Junior defender Lauren Barnes shot the ball through the net with a header in the 61st minute off a corner kick from redshirt junior defender Jenna Belcher.
Soon thereafter, Belcher again came through with the assist, placing the cross into the box for Cheney to score with a header in the 68th minute.
“One of our pregame objectives for the game was to get a goal off a set piece,” Belcher said. “Obviously, it was a focus for us “¦ and today, we had a couple right in the spot we’ve been practicing.”
Sophomore forward Sydney Leroux scored her seventh goal of the season in the 78th minute with a shot from the right to the far post, extending UCLA’s lead to 5-1.
The Bruins sealed the victory at the 86:30 mark when freshman midfielder/forward Ahsha Smith scored her first collegiate goal from the top of the box to the left corner.
“It was really nice because you always want to make a difference when you step out on the field,” Smith said. “It’s an honor every time I step on. “¦ Every minute I can get, I’ll take advantage of it.”
Overall, Ellis was pleased with the blend of youth and veteran leadership that she saw out on the field.
“Our freshmen came of age,” she said. “This was the type of game where you need other people to step up, and I think they did. It was a nice balance of the veterans and the new girls coming in.”