Alvarado’s First Goal of the Season Gives Bruins the Win
Soccer News: UCLA defeated 19th-ranked Pepperdine, 1-0, on a penalty kick by Annie Alvarado with 51 seconds to play. The shutout victory was the first for redshirt freshman goalkeeper Arielle Schechtman in her first collegiate start.
The Bruins (4-4) earned the penalty kick when Kristiana Konkol-Mroczkowski, who had just entered the game seconds earlier, was fouled in the box. Alvarado stepped up for the penalty kick and coolly put it in the back of the net for her first goal of the season.
UCLA had missed a penalty kick in the 68th minute after MacKenzie Cerda was fouled in the box. Pepperdine goalkeeper Hannah Seabert made the clutch save on Lauren Kaskie‘s shot. Misfortune struck again for the Bruins in the 72nd minute when Kodi Lavrusky‘s shot struck the left post, and Konkol-Mroczkowski’s follow-up shot a few moments later went high.
UCLA outshot Pepperdine 13-3 in the game, and the Bruin defense, led by center backs Madison Tye and Courtney Proctor, limited the Waves (5-3-1) to zero shots on goal.
“It was a good game as far as energy level, which was good, and possession, which was good to a point. We still need to work on our final pass and our decision-making in our attacking third,” said UCLA head coach Amanda Cromwell. “But I’m very happy with getting the win and getting the shutout.”
