Senior midfielder Gabbi Miranda had just given UCLA women’s soccer a 2-1 lead over unranked Oregon with a pinpointed free kick in the 72nd minute.
Just over a minute later, the Bruins’ momentum was halted, not by a Ducks equalizer, but a critical injury.
The injury briefly hindered the offense, but No. 11 UCLA (9-2-0, 3-0-0 Pac-12) overcame the lapse en route to a 3-2 victory over Oregon (6-5-1, 0-3-0).
Senior Darian Jenkins made a run toward the goal, surrounded by multiple Oregon defenders. The players stumbled out of bounds together, the ball deflected by the Ducks, but the star forward didn’t get up off the grass.
Nearly 30 minutes passed before the medical staff carted the veteran goal-scorer off the field.
Oregon took advantage of UCLA’s lost momentum with an equalizer by midfielder Abby Morrow in the 79th minute. Then with just five minutes left before a foreseeable overtime period, UCLA took charge for one more chance at goal.
On a vital corner kick, junior defender MacKenzie Cerda whipped a cross into a crowded penalty box. In a sea of Oregon and UCLA players, redshirt junior midfielder Claire Winter located the ball and headed a goal into the top-right corner of the cage, just out of the reach of Ducks goalkeeper Katelyn Carter.
“Obviously we were very concerned so we weren’t mentally there,“ Winter said. “It was pretty special because I got to score for Darian. … (We all) had that same attitude, that we’re going to do it for Darian.”
[Related: Women’s soccer secures wins by bringing substitutes into play]
Long before the injury, the visiting Bruins found themselves in a deficit.
Oregon defender Ashlee Schulz made a run toward goal in the third minute before UCLA sophomore defender Hailie Mace cleared the ball just a few feet outside of the Bruins’ penalty box.
Duck forward Kyra Fawcett gained possession, swiftly turned over her left shoulder and lobbed a shot with her left foot over a Bruin defender and freshman goalkeeper Teagan Micah to give Oregon a 1-0 lead.
For much of the first half, the Ducks were in complete control thanks to a stringent defense. Congestion in the middle of the field prevented the Bruins’ up-tempo offense from gaining any momentum.
“They were taking their time to press us and we had to figure out how we were going to break them,” Miranda said. “That ultimately ended up being able to play the ball and create space in front of them.”
UCLA’s offense was stagnant for the most part, but it still forced Oregon to rebuff scoring opportunities. In the 26th minute, the Ducks’ back line finally gave in.
The ball was played deep in the box for senior midfielder Annie Alvarado but she was swarmed by defenders. Duck midfielder Miranda Schulz attempted to clear the ball and eliminate the scoring chance for the Bruins, but unintentionally sent the ball backward toward her own goal. Before defenders could make the goal-line save, the ball crossed the plain and equaled the score at one.
[Last week: Women’s soccer breaks through Oregon State defense]
UCLA exited halftime maintaining its strategy: search for a soft spot in Oregon’s barricading defense while denying counterattacks on its defensive end of the pitch. Neither team managed to capitalize on its own opportunities until Miranda notched her second goal of the season in the 72nd minute.
Although they have not scored consistently via the set piece, the Bruins’ conversions proved to be the difference against the Ducks.
“We work on them a lot,” said assistant coach Louise Lieberman. “But individuals have to rise up in that moment and Claire and Gabbi certainly did.”