Not even a minute and a half of overtime had transpired before
1,365 fans at Drake stadium fell into a stunned silence Friday
night.
The game ended before many of the spectators at Drake Stadium
even had time to take their seats after the five minute
intermission following regulation.
Santa Clara forward Kristi Candau took a pass from teammate Lana
Bowen and shot it past a diving UCLA sophomore goalie Sarah
Lombardo just inside the left post for the golden goal and a 2-1
Santa Clara victory.
The No. 3 Bruins (8-2) dominated the first half, out shooting
No. 11 Santa Clara 5-0, with the UCLA backline playing a very
poised defense stifling any Santa Clara breakaways. UCLA’s first
goal came when freshman midfielder Stacy Lindstrom launched a long
lob pass to freshman forward Iris Mora charged toward the goal.
Santa Clara goalie Erin Pearson rushed out to collect Lindstrom’s
pass but Mora headed the ball into the goal to put UCLA ahead at
1-0.
The Bruins’ early domination seemed to suggest that more
goals were to come, but poor finishing kept UCLA from following
through with its lead. Santa Clara increased the match’s pace
in the second half, becoming more aggressive and eventually
out-shooting UCLA 6-1.
“The speed of play was very fast tonight and I think we
got thrown out of our game and got a bit frantic at times,”
UCLA head coach Jillian Ellis said. “We need to control the
tempo of the game, we’re young and we’re not seasoned at doing that
just yet.”
Sixty-six minutes into the game, something seemingly improbable
happened.
From 20 yards out, Santa Clara forward Devvyn Hawkins blasted a
shot that slipped through Lombardo’s grasp and the ball fell
into the back of the net.
“I thought the change in momentum came in the second
half,” said Candau, who notched a goal and an assist.
“As soon as we came in during the second half, we were
determined and soon as we scored the equalizer, there was no doubt
in my mind that we could win it.”
It was a match that the Bruins could and should have put away
early, but they let it slip through their hands, leaving UCLA
without a victory against Santa Clara in its history.
“I just think that we need to be plugged in, especially
when it’s overtime,” junior Nandi Pryce said.
“(Santa Clara) is an awesome team, but they also have a great
tradition and they have been doing this forever. But we’re excited
that this loss came in such a way where we actually played well, so
we’re okay with that.”
The Bruins shook off their disappointment from Friday night to
come from behind and defeat Loyola Marymount 3-2 on Sunday.
Freshman midfielder Allie True, sophomore forward Kim Devine and
junior midfielder Sarah-Gayle Swanson all notched goals for the
Bruins.