COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Just over eight minutes remained on the clock and No. 15 UCLA women’s soccer seemed destined for a draw with No. 11 Texas A&M. The Aggies (1-2) – determined to defend College Station – made life tough all game for the Bruins (2-0).
Then, redshirt freshman midfielder Chloe Castaneda received the ball just outside the box, teeing herself up and unleashing a rocket to the top right corner. Just like that, the Bruins were up 1-0, where the game would finish.
Castaneda’s goal was not only a game winner, but her first goal in a UCLA uniform.
“It was amazing,” Castaneda said. “I could say a lot more, but I’ll go with that.
The goal and the victory may grab most of the attention, but the biggest overall performance came from the defense. When Texas A&M threatened from corners and crosses, the back line answered the bell every time.
When the Aggies were able to get shots on target, freshman goalkeeper Teagan Micah was up for the challenge. She came up with five saves in total, each of them vital for preserving the victory.
“A rookie in goal, and relatively young defense. I was really happy about them,” said coach Amanda Cromwell. “They worked their butts off.”
Two junior outside backs, MacKenzie Cerda and Zoey Goralski, featured heavily in the attack. The pair bombed down the wings on multiple occasions and started plays that would result in decent shooting opportunities.
Cerda unleashed a venomous half-volley late in the opening period that caromed off the post – UCLA’s best opportunity to that point.
When the second half started, the game picked up right where it left off, as both teams battled hard for the upper hand in front of 5,785 cheering Aggies fans.
“This game was almost like a playoff game,” Cromwell said. “The intensity was high, the crowd, the atmosphere was awesome.”
At times, Texas A&M seemed to be the more dangerous team, but UCLA dug in and kept the game scoreless. Then, Castaneda got the all-important goal in the 83rd minute.
A few minutes later, the Bruins had a golden opportunity to add an insurance goal, when they were awarded a penalty for an Aggie handball in the box.
Senior Annie Alvarado’s penalty, however, was saved by the Texas A&M goalkeeper and the game would end with a 1-0 scoreline.
“This is huge,” Alvarado said. “Every year we try for the highest strength of schedule. Playing games like this only prepares us for the bigger, tougher games down the road.”
As UCLA builds toward the Pac-12 season, the pieces are beginning to fall into place. Micah, for one, has claimed the starting position in goal over junior Siri Ervik.
“Micah is our starter,” Cromwell said. “Both of them did well in preseason. Ervik gave it a run, but there were some things we saw. Micah had a huge save in the San Diego State game and came up big again tonight.”
Micah was measured in analyzing her Friday performance.
“There were some things I wanted to work on, set piece-wise,” Micah said. “But I’m happy about it. Now I have to go back it up on Sunday.”
UCLA has a quick turnaround for its next game against No. 7 Florida, a match the Bruins will enter feeling good after two positive results.
“It’s early in the season and you don’t want to get too excited,” Cromwell said. “But it’s two wins and two clean sheets. You got to be happy about that.”