With UCLA facing a 1-1 tie late in the second half, senior Lauren Cheney scored the game-winning goal in the 78th minute to lead her team to a 2-1 victory over USC in front of a crowd of 3,210 at Drake Stadium on Friday.
The No. 3 Bruins are now 15-2-1 overall and 6-1 in the Pac-10, while the No. 13 Trojans are 12-6 overall and 4-3 in the Pac-10.
It also marked the Bruins’ third consecutive victory against the Women of Troy. UCLA has now won 11 of the last 12 matches between the two teams and holds a 19-3-1 record against its crosstown rival.
“It was a great crowd with good energy, and I think it helped us (Friday),” coach Jill Ellis said. “Obviously, it’s a tremendous rivalry between the schools. Both teams had a lot of chances “¦ and eventually, we got the result.”
Redshirt junior Jenna Belcher got the Bruins off to a head start in the 44th minute. After USC deflected her corner kick, Belcher ran back to the top of the box to intercept the ball and shot it past the Trojans’ goalkeeper Kristin Olsen.
The Trojans would reset the match in the second half. Coming off the bench, USC’s Courtney Garcia fired a shot in the box into the far post at the 72:30 mark to even the scoreboard.
But the Bruins responded with another goal of their own, thanks to a spirited burst of speed and an assist by freshman midfielder Chelsea Cline.
Sprinting from the backfield past the center stripe, Cline weaved in and out of a group of yellow-clad Trojans and passed the ball off to Cheney, who then proceeded to clinch the match with her 10th goal of the season.
“I definitely thought I was going to get pulled down and get the foul call,” Cline said. “But somehow, I pulled out of it and beat the one last defender, and Cheney made a perfect run.”
For the Bruins, it was more than a win against USC that gave cause to celebrate. Friday’s match marked the last home game of the regular season for the seniors.
Cheney, defender Dea Cook and injured forward Kara Lang were honored during the pregame ceremonies.
“It has just been so much fun to have played with these girls all four years,” Cook said. “It’s weird how fast it went by, but it has been pretty awesome.”
The other two seniors on the team, forward Kristina Larsen and defender Lauren Wilmoth, did not participate in Friday’s match.