Despite playing in 90-degree weather in both Tempe and Tucson, Ariz., the No. 4 UCLA women’s soccer team (13-0-2, 4-0 Pac-10) netted two victories against Arizona State (6-4-3, 0-2 Pac-10) and Arizona (8-6, 1-2 Pac-10) this weekend.
This two-game set marked the Bruins’ first conference road trip of the season.
“It’s always a challenge to play on the road,” coach Jill Ellis said. “You get out of your comfort level and your environment. The temperatures here are extremely high.”
Junior forward Lauren Cheney scored both goals in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Arizona.
In the fifth minute, senior midfielder Christina DiMartino dished the ball to Cheney, who spun away from her defender and netted a shot aimed at the far post.
The Bruins’ second goal did not come until well into the second half of play. At the 76:22 mark, Cheney launched an 18-yard shot from the left side to the far post that evaded the diving goalkeeper. Redshirt junior forward Kara Lang was credited with the assist.
Ellis said that even though the team came into the second half a little fatigued due to the scorching weather, the win was a solid team effort.
“Coming out of Arizona, you’ve got to take the weather into consideration,” Ellis said. “We had to get a lot of players not just playing time but contributing because of fatigue issues and heat issues, but everybody stepped in and did a nice job.”
Ellis played a total of 19 players in both games.
Friday’s 3-0 win was also a team effort. In front of a crowd of 1,052 at the Sun Devil Soccer Stadium, six different players played a part in the three goals.
In the 26th minute, a corner kick from junior defender Lauren Wilmoth found fellow defender Dea Cook, who headed it in. The header was Cook’s first goal of the season.
After 50 minutes of scoreless action, freshman forward Sydney Leroux recorded her fifth goal of the season when she dribbled the ball up the field and shot it past the Sun Devil goalkeeper Briana Silvestri in the 76th minute. Senior midfielder McCall Zerboni registered the assist.
Late in the game, at the 85:18 mark, Lang dribbled past ASU defenders and drove an unassisted angle shot into the goal.
With these two games, the Bruins obtained their 12th and 13th shutouts of the season.
The Bruins will now prepare to take on rival No. 5 USC next Friday across town. The Trojans ended the Bruins’ 2007 campaign by beating them in the national semifinals, 2-1.