UCLA Women's Soccer Beats Washington State to Record 500th Win

Lilly Reale's goal in the 62 minute helped the Bruins reach a massive program milestone in their return to Westwood.

The Bruins hadn't played at home in nearly three weeks, so they made the most of their return to Wallis Annenberg Stadium on Thursday. 

No. 1 UCLA women's soccer (16-1, 8-1 Pac-12) bested Washington State (8-5-4, 2-4-3 Pac-12) in a 1-0 victory, clinching their 500th win in program history as a result. The win did not come easily, however, with the Bruins' scraping by with an uncharacteristic one-goal margin of victory.

UCLA won four of its first five games by a single goal, but entered Thursday with just one one-goal win in the 11 matches since. The goal that lifted the Bruins a hair above the Cougars came to be on a lucky bounce, too, albeit one that was sparked by a powerful strike in the 62nd minute.

Sophomore defender Lilly Reale received a pass at midfield from senior forward Sunshine Fontes, who was looking to reset the Bruins' attack.

Reale found herself in space and made a quick go for goal, firing off a strike from well outside the box. Goalkeeper Nadia Cooper read the shot well and positioned herself in front of it, but let it slip through her hands and take a bounce just over the line.

Graduate forward Ally Cook snuck in behind the defense to clean things up for good measure, but Reale got awarded the game-winner thanks to the keeper's mishap.

GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL UCLA!!!! @reale_lilly hits a rocket to net the game's first goal in the 62nd minute! UCLA leads WSU 1-0.

📺: @Pac12Network
📲: https://t.co/9qKireo7Ia#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/Br5IPhIze7

— UCLA Women's Soccer (@UCLAWSoccer) October 28, 2022

UCLA only needed the one goal to escape with the win, thanks in no small part to graduate goalkeeper Lauren Brzykcy.

In the first half, Washington State did not record a single shot on goal. Their attack did become more efficient in the second half, though, with all three of their shots ending up on target.

Brzykcy needed to make saves in the 76th and 85th minutes to keep the Cougars at bay, but they still came roaring back with another chance in the 86th. Forward Grayson Lynch turned the corner on the left wing, sending a cross in front of the net, but Brzykcy turned away forward Brianna McReynolds' low, bouncing header.

Washington State averaged three goals per game during their seven-game winning streak in September, at which point they reached No. 15 in the rankings with a 7-1-1 record. The Cougar attack has slowed since then, going six weeks without a multi-goal game and five games without a win.

Brzykcy extended those streaks, guiding UCLA to its sixth clean sheet victory in its last seven outings.

🙅‍♀️ @laurenbrzykcy11 snuffs the threat from WSU to keep it 1-0 Bruins!

📺: @Pac12Network
📲: https://t.co/9qKireo7Ia pic.twitter.com/5yxj9YR6Cr

— UCLA Women's Soccer (@UCLAWSoccer) October 28, 2022

Brzykcy would have had a larger cushion to work with down the stretch had the Bruins' attack not been so unlucky on the other end early on. Graduate midfielder Maricarmen Reyes hit the post in the 8th and 20th minutes, while none of the team's 12 shots in the first half found the back of the net.

A 26-6 advantage in shots only led to a 1-0 advantage on the scoreboard by the time 90 minutes were up, but it was still enough to secure the win.

UCLA will have its Senior Day festivities on Sunday, with Washington coming to Westwood for the home finale. The match is scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m.

The Bruins will more than likely host multiple NCAA tournament games at Wallis Annanberg Stadium, should they surpass their first-round exit from 2021, so the home crowd won't have to say farewell to the seniors just yet.

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