#ThursdayGoals women's soccer preview: No. 14 UCLA at Arizona
The matchup: No. 14 UCLA (9-3-1, 3-1-1) at Arizona (6-6-1, 1-4-0)
When: Thursday, Oct. 13, 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Network
On the call: Matt McConnell and Kyndra de St. Aubin
The latest #ThursdayGoals installment features the No. 14 UCLA Bruins traveling to Tucson to face the Arizona Wildcats. The Bruins hold an all-time record of 21-1 over the Wildcats, with Arizona's lone win coming in 2004.
On the visitors: UCLA (9-3-1, 3-1-1, 6th Pac-12)
UCLA has 10 conference points under its belt, with the Bruins' only conference loss coming at the hands of then-No. 1 Stanford in double overtime (3-2). UCLA is undefeated on the road, with an astonishing 5-0-0 record away from Los Angeles. All of UCLA's losses came at the hands of top-10 teams (No. 6 Florida, No. 8 North Carolina, and No. 1 Stanford). The Bruins lead the Pac-12 in assists with 29, coming in at an average of 2.23 assists per game. Ten different players for UCLA have scored this season, making the Bruins tough to defend.
Bruins to watch:
Jessie Fleming, freshman - midfielder: The rookie is currently leading the conference in points per game (1.70) and goals per game (0.80). Fleming has racked up the weekly awards this season, being named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and part of the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week twice this season.
Mackenzie Cerda, junior - defender: Giving the Bruin back line a shoutout, as the UCLA defense has allowed only 14 goals this season. Cerda has been instrumental in the UCLA offensive attack, notching five assists on the season to date.
Tegan Micah, freshman - goalkeeper: Micah has 51 saves in 2016 and is tied for third in the Pac-12 with six shutouts. She's helped the Bruins shut out three ranked opponents in then-No. 11 Texas A&M, No. 13 Penn State and No. 25 Pepperdine.
On the home team: Arizona (6-6-1, 1-4-0, 8th Pac-12)
The Wildcats are outshooting their opponents, 201-129. Arizona split its contests last weekend, beating Washington State, 2-0 but falling 2-1 to Washington. In their eleven games in 2016, nine different Wildcats have found the back of the net. Five different players have scored at least three goals as well. Thursday's matchup will be tough, as Arizona has never scored more than one goal against UCLA.
Wildcats to watch:
Gabi Stoian, junior - forward: Stoian has four goals and five assists this season, and she's already made an impact during her three-year career in Tucson. She is tied for third all-time in program history with 23 career goals and has 66 career points, good for second on the all-time list.
Jaden DeGracie-Bailey, senior - midfielder: DeGracie-Bailey is Arizona's all-time assists record holder at 23, and has four already this season. DeGracie-Bailey and teammate Paige Crouch are Wildcat flip-throw specialists, so look out for those set-piece-like opportunities for the Red and Blue.
Lainey Burdett, sophomore - goalkeeper: Burdett has ten games under her belt and has recorded five shutouts. You can check out Burdett and the Wildcats on the Pac-12's Snapchat account (Pac12Conference).
Storylines to watch around the league:
RPI: Four Pac-12 teams rank in the top-25 in the latest RPI release, with No. 1 Stanford, No. 7 USC, No. 9 UCLA and No. 22 Utah. Teams are vying for a spot in the newly-announced College Cup location, now to be held at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, California.
National camp call-up: US Women's National Team head coach Jill Ellis called up Stanford stars Andi Sullivan and Jane Campbell to the 24-player group. They were two of three collegiate players selected to the camp.