On the road for the first time since Sept. 19, the UCLA women’s soccer team was hoping to finally gain some momentum.
However, the chance for a two-game winning streak vanished on Sunday, with the Bruins falling to Oregon State 3-0 in Corvallis, Ore.
Powered by goals in the 35th and 88th minutes from junior forward Sydney Leroux, No. 14 UCLA (9-5-1, 2-2 Pac-10) surged past Oregon (4-7-2, 0-2) 3-1 on Friday before coming to a grinding halt against the Beavers. Out-shot 14-9 by Oregon State (11-1-1, 3-0) , the Bruins were shut out for the fifth time this season.
“We took a lot more shots against Oregon than we did (Sunday),” senior midfielder Kylie Wright said of the team’s inability to score against Oregon State. “Also, getting in line to receive crosses from the box, we didn’t really have much of that going on.”
In the hopes that a change would jump-start the offense, coach Jillian Ellis made several switches in the Bruins’ offensive line throughout the weekend. With Leroux remaining up front for both games, freshman midfielder Jenna Richmond played as a forward on Friday, while sophomore forward Ahsha Smith, who has come off the bench for the majority of the season, started as a striker on Sunday.
UCLA’s lack of offensive production has been an ongoing struggle for the team, but the defense has been a source of reassurance.
On Sunday, however, the Beavers exposed weaknesses of the Bruin backline, which conceded three goals for the first time this season.
“Two of the goals we gave up ““ the first two ““ were mistakes and we got punished for them,” Ellis said. “First turning the ball over, then a back pass that got picked off, these are mistakes that changed the entire course of the game. We practically need to be error-free at this point in the game.”
Down by 1-0 at halftime, UCLA out-shot Oregon State in the second half but was unable to counter with a goal of its own. Senior midfielder Elise Britt believes that the team was not aggressive enough during the beginning part of the match, an attitude that eventually led to UCLA’s downfall.
“Toward the end of the game, we really started to push and try to get those goals,” she said. “We have realized that we also have to play that way from the beginning.”
In the 59th minute, the Beavers again found the back of the net when sophomore midfielder Lindsay Meiggs launched a sailing shot over the head of redshirt junior goalkeeper Chante’ Sandiford from the top of the 18-yard box.
Another goal in the 84th minute clinched the Beavers’ upset win over the Bruins, marking the first time that the they have defeated both UCLA and USC in a weekend.
“They were goals that could have easily been prevented because we have enough talent and are physically capable,” said Britt, who thought the team’s negative mentality, rather than fatigue, hindered its ability to perform against the Beavers.
“It is not because we are tired. We are in shape and fit enough to play a full 90 minutes, but we just need to be tougher mentally and be prepared because I think if we are, we will have a lot more success. “
After three losses in their past five games, the Bruins are looking to regroup before Friday’s match against the Trojans.
“We need to come with an inspired attitude on Tuesday (for practice), be ready to play and be willing to do whatever it takes,” Ellis said. “The team knows that we have an important game coming up and it is all about having them feel confident going into this weekend.”