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Pac-12 Conference

The Conference
of Champions

The best moment for each Pac-12 women's soccer team in 2022 so far

by Ryan Kelapire
Oct 13, 2022
Photo of Keely Roy courtesy Cal Athletics

We've reached the midpoint of Pac-12 women's soccer conference play, and there was no shortage of memorable moments in the first half.

From milestones to gobsmacking goals, here's a look at the top moment for each team.

Arizona — Hisey, Dallin team up to lead Wildcats to upset at No. 8 USC

Second-year head Becca Moros picked up her first win over a ranked team when the Wildcats upset the Trojans in Los Angeles, thanks to some heroics from Hope Hisey and Nicole Dallin.

Hisey stopped a penalty kick in the 66th minute and Dallin netted the game's lone goal a couple minutes later, chipping a shot over the keeper.

It was Arizona's first win over USC since 2013.

The Wildcats nearly followed it with another big result a few days later, holding No. 1 UCLA scoreless until the 83rd minute as they trend in the right direction for the second half of conference play.

Arizona State — Nicole Douglas breaks the Sun Devils' all-time scoring record

There's still plenty of soccer left, but Douglas has already cemented herself as ASU's all-time leading scorer on Sept. 1, scoring goals No. 50 and 51 of her career in a win over UAB.

The fifth-year senior hasn't slowed down since, now sitting at 54 career goals heading into Friday's home game vs. Colorado. Douglas' goal is to bring the Sun Devils back to the NCAA Tournament and, at No. 18 in RPI, they are on the right track so far.

California — Golden Bears sweep Washington schools to enter Top 25 for first time

The Bears have won three straight Pac-12 games after dropping their first two, causing them to jump to No. 19 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll, their first appearance in the Top 25 this season.

Most recently, Cal swept the Washington schools in Berkeley, including a 2-1 win over then-No. 21 Washington State.

It was a huge weekend for Keely Roy, who scored three goals on the weekend and subsequently earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Colorado — Danny Sanchez becomes the Buffaloes' all-time wins leader

The 11-year head coach tallied his 115th career win at Colorado when the Buffs blanked Valparaiso 3-0 on Aug. 26, passing Bill Hempen for the most in program history.

Sanchez has been a consistent winner in Boulder, recording nine winning seasons in his first 10 years, including six trips to the NCAA Tournament and a Sweet Sixteen back in 2013, his third year at the helm.

Sanchez sits at 120 wins entering this week's road game at Arizona, an important match for the Buffaloes' NCAA Tournament hopes. They are off to an 8-3-3 start with a 2-2-1 mark in Pac-12 play.

Oregon — Leah Freeman becomes Oregon's all-time shutouts leader

The Ducks' goalkeeper has been under duress all season, facing the most shots in the conference. She's handled it about as well as one can, leading the Pac-12 in both saves (77) and save percentage (.846).

On Oct. 6, Freeman became Oregon's new all-time shutouts leader (18), blanking Utah in a 1-0 win. 

Only a junior, Freeman still has plenty of time to continue building her legacy in Eugene.

Oregon State — A batch of braces for McKenna Martinez

Martinez has scored seven of the Beavers' 15 goals this season, four of them coming in two games.

Her first two-goal game came in a 4-1 win over Wyoming on Aug. 21 and her second on Sept. 1 in a 2-0 win over Boise State. Those victories account for half of OSU's win total so far.

Stanford — Allie Montoya's brace leads Stanford past then-No. 8 Penn State

Montoya has had a fantastic freshman season on The Farm, tied for second on Stanford in scoring (5 goals).

She burst onto the scene, scoring both goals in the Cardinal's 2-0 win over then-No. 8 Penn State on Sept. 1.

UCLA — Beating then-No. 1 North Carolina and No. 2 Duke on the road in the same weekend

The entire season has been a highlight for the Bruins, who, at 13-0, are off to the best start in program history and remain the only perfect team in college soccer, men's or women's.

Entering the season, there were some questions about just how good UCLA would be under new head coach Marguerrite Aozasa, but by the beginning of September it was clear that the Bruins were the inarguable best team in the country, taking down North Carolina and Duke, the two top-ranked teams at the time, on their home fields.

USC — Trojans rout the reigning Big 12 champs

Jane Alukonis certainly will not forget her first home game as USC's head coach. The Trojans were clinical in a 3-0 rout of TCU, the defending Big 12 champions.

2021 Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year Croix Bethune scored twice and assisted Simone Jackson on a goal in the victory.

Re-live all of it here:

The victory ignited the Trojans, who had dropped their season opener but are 6-1-1 since beating TCU.

Utah — Utes record highest scoring total since 2017 in win over Oregon State

Utah surpassed its 2021 Pac-12 win total when it scored six goals against the Beavers on Sunday, its most prolific offensive outing since 2017.

Five different Utes scored, including Courtney Brown, who recorded her first career brace.

A display of their improved depth, Utah did not need any goals from Taliana Kaufusi, their top scorer, to complete the feat.

In total, 12 different Utes have scored this season, the most since 2015.

Washington — Shae Holmes' late stunner secures the Huskies' first Pac-12 win

The Utes and Huskies were in a back-and-forth battle in the 87th minute when Holmes somehow buried a long free kick from the corner, propelling the Huskies to a win in their Pac-12 home opener.

It came just two minutes after Utah's Madeline Vergura netted a similar shot for the equalizer.

Washington State — Todd Shulenberger becomes the Cougars' all-time wins leader

The Cougars have been one of the steadiest programs in the Pac-12 since Todd Shulenberger was hired in 2015, and on Oct. 2 he became WSU's winningest coach after a 1-0 victory over Utah.

Grayson Lynch scored in the ninth minute and the Cougs' defense did the rest.

In his first seven seasons in Pullman, Shulenberger led the Cougars to six winning seasons, five NCAA Tournament appearances, two Sweet Sixteens and the program's first-ever College Cup appearance in 2019.

At 8-3-2 and No. 34 in RPI, WSU looks poised to make more noise in the postseason this year.

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