LOS
ANGELES -
Goals by Elise Britt and Sydney Leroux propelled the UCLA women's soccer team to a 2-1
upset of fourth-seeded Central Florida on Saturday evening in an NCAA Second
Round match at Drake Stadium. The Bruins, who improve to 13-7-2 on the year,
move on to face the winner of tomorrow's match between top-seeded Stanford and
Santa Clara.
After
40 minutes of scoreless soccer, UCLA jumped out to a 1-0 lead just before
halftime when a corner kick by Dana Wall found the head of Britt, who punched in her first
career goal from about 10 yards out.
The
Bruins' second goal came off another header, this time by Leroux at the 48:10
mark. Following a UCF foul, UCLA had a quick restart, enabling Lauren Barnes to dart toward the goal unmarked. With several
Knight defenders closing in, Barnes lofted a ball into the box, where Leroux was
waiting to direct it into the upper left corner.
Facing
a two-goal deficit, UCF (15-5-3) began to push forward, nearly scoring when
Tishia Jewell hit the crossbar in the 49th minute. The Knights' added pressure
eventually paid off, as Bianca Joswiak scored her third goal of the year,
punching in a Brianna Schooley ball played into the box to cut the lead to 2-1
in the 76th minute. It was as close as UCF would get, however, as the Bruins
were able to hold the Knights scoreless for the remaining 14 minutes.
UCLA
goalkeeper Chante' Sandiford finished with a match-high four saves on the
night. UCF out-shot UCLA, 12-9, including 8-4 in the second half.
UCLA's
lineup was bolstered by the return of midfielder Kylie Wright, who suffered an ankle injury in the first half
against BYU on Friday and did not return. She played the entire 90 minutes on
Saturday. Midfielder Jenna Richmond, who suffered a knee injury in the BYU match,
did not see any action against UCF.
The
Bruins have now advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 for the 12th straight season.
Stanford
and Santa Clara will meet at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday in Stanford, Calif.
