Kim Devine transferred to UCLA from BYU so she could play for a
soccer team whose teammates “loved each other.”
Devine got a chance to show her former teammates how much love
the members of the UCLA women’s soccer team have for each
other as the Bruins defeated the Cougars 6-0 yesterday ““
displaying unselfish and fluid play.
Before the match, the sophomore forward was so nervous about
facing her former teammates that she could not eat. However, an
empty stomach did not hinder Devine’s play, as she went on to
score two goals.
“I am glad I am able to contribute, and scoring those
goals added some sweetness to the victory,” Devine said.
The No. 3 Bruins’ first goal in the lopsided match came in
the tenth minute as sophomore defender Amy Fazio assisted Devine on
a short shot. UCLA (7-1) struck again four minutes later when Fazio
fielded the ball 20 yards out and rocketed a shot past the BYU
goalie.
“This match was our best 90 minutes to date,” head
coach Jillian Ellis said. “We’ve had good halves, but
not a whole match like this.”
UCLA had 20 shots on goal, scoring on almost one third of their
chances. The Cougars (3-5) managed only two shots on goal ““ a
statistic that can be attributed to the Bruins’ prowess on
defense.
“The defense read the game very well,” sophomore
defender Kendal Billingsley said. “We played very well as a
team.”
Billingsley scored UCLA’s third goal in the 32nd minute of
the match. She said teammates were aware of Devine’s nervous
energy prior to the match.
“Kim was extremely excited,” Billingsley said.
“We wanted to do well for her.”
The Bruins’ final goal of the match came in the 82nd
minute on a beautiful cross from Billingsley that junior forward
Victoria Bloom headed into the back of the net.
“The victory was a complete team effort,” Ellis
said. “The forwards, the mids and the back line were all
sharp.”
The Bruins were so sharp that five different players scored
goals ““ spreading the love ““ just like Devine said they
do.