UCLA’s First Season in the Big 10 Culminates in the Conference Championship

UCLA’s move to the Big 10 was a major talking point in the offseason. How would this coaching staff and a team of stars adjust to colder weather, longer road trips, and more frequent jetlag? The Bruins were a consensus top-three team in the nation coming into this season. UCLA was shockingly on the wrong end of some upsets in the first week of September, which caused them to stumble down the rankings. With just one loss since September 8, this team has hit their stride at the right time heading into the NCAA Tournament. 

What stands out about this UCLA squad is that they are a truly unselfish team. Most teams have a go-to goalscorer who they can rely on to put the ball in the net. UCLA is the opposite; they share the ball, and their scoring is distributed across the roster. Rarely will you see a team with 18 different goal scorers. Their leading scorers, Sofia Cook and Bridgette Marin-Valencia, have only four goals each.

Head Coach Margueritte Aozasa has built a strong team in all phases of the game. Their defense and goalkeeping are elite. The Bruins feature arguably the best defensive one-two punch in the country, with Ryan Campbell in the net and Lilly Reale in defense. Without a doubt, both are going to First-Team All-Americans. UCLA has the best goals-against average by a wide margin at .318. The next closest team is Mississippi State at .419. Campbell leads the nation in shutouts with 16 in 22 games. With her in net, supported by Lilly Reale and the backline, UCLA only allowed seven goals in the regular season and didn’t concede a single goal in the Big 10 Tournament. 

The Bruins’ defense is elite. Their goalscoring is balanced. But, their midfield was returned a key piece in Sunshine Fontes. Fontes missed the early portion of the season due to coming back from a major injury. Her presence in the lineup cannot be understated. Fontes provides stability, her ability to defend and create allows for the rest of her teammates to play free and get forward. 

All of these components have led to a successful transition to the Big 10. The Bruins may have lost to arch-rival USC to lose the regular season title, but they were ready for the Big 10 Tournament. Their toughest test came in the first round against a ranked Penn State team. Once they outlasted the Nittany Lions with a 1-0 win, UCLA didn’t have much trouble from that point on. They defeated upstart Washington 2-0 in the semifinals before thrashing Rutgers 5-0 in the final with five different goal scorers, including Lilly Reale’s sister Sophie.

Five different goal scorers in a championship game tells you everything you need to know about this team. It doesn’t matter who scores, who gets the credit, everyone supports each other symbiotically. This UCLA team is poised to get to the College Cup. Can they defeat Florida State and some of the other favorites coming out of the ACC? Time will tell, but under Margueritte Aozasa, this UCLA team has a chance to do something special over the next few weeks. 

Featured image via @uclawsoccer on Instagram

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