Bruin’s Offense Ignited In 5-1 Win Over Arizona
Soccer News: UCLA‘s offense woke up in a big way Friday night, scoring five unanswered goals en route to a 5-1 victory over 15th-ranked Arizona. Five different Bruin players scored, and defender Zoey Goralski recorded two assists.
“I thought we were really good on the ball and composed, and obviously finishing goals early got us on the right track,” said UCLA head coach Amanda Cromwell. “I can’t say enough about this group and our resiliency and desire and teamwork.”
Darian Jenkins got UCLA on the board early, not only earning the corner kick that resulted in the goal but scoring the goal, her third consecutive. MacKenzie Cerda sent the corner kick to the box, where Kodi Lavrusky headed it towards goal. The shot was blocked by an Arizona defender, but Jenkins was there to put in the rebound for the 1-0 lead at 4:24.
Amber Munerlyn doubled up UCLA’s lead at 21:42 when her shot was deflected by an Arizona defender into the back of the net. Munerlyn’s goal was her second of the year, and Goralski earned the assist.
Lavrusky, who had hit the crossbar in the eighth minute, didn’t miss with her second goal of the season at 35:06, scoring on a header off a Goralski cross.
After going into halftime with a 3-0 lead, the Bruins did not let up, earning a penalty kick just 23 seconds into the half with a foul inside the box. Annie Alvarado beat the goalkeeper on the penalty shot for her second goal of the year.
Redshirt sophomore Claire Winter got in on the action at 63:14, scoring her first career goal on a long-range shot, with Cerda recording the assist.
UCLA held the advantage on the stat sheet, outshooting Arizona, 18-10, with a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Goalkeeper Siri Ervik earned the victory in her first career start, recording two saves for the Bruins, who improved to 6-6-0, 2-2-0 in the Pac-12. She was less than five minutes away from a shutout when Chelle Mahoney scored off a Jessica Nelson flip throw at 85:27 for the Wildcats’ only score of the contest by Rachel Estopare.
UCLA will host Arizona State on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 1pm.
