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Pac-12 Conference

The Conference
of Champions

The best moments from the first week of the 2022 Pac-12 women's soccer season

by Ryan Kelapire
Aug 22, 2022
Photo courtesy Arizona Athletics

The first week of the women's college soccer season was a success for the Pac-12, which posted a 12-3-4 record and a gaudy 43-14 goal differential.

Let's recap some of the top moments...

Arizona is proving doubters wrong

Picked to finish last in the Pac-12 by the Conference's coaches, the Wildcats are already defying expectations, opening the season with a comeback win over Iowa State and a road win at Texas Tech.

The Wildcats are one of two teams in the country with multiple wins over Power-5 teams and became just the fourth team to win in Lubbock since 2019.

It also marked the first career road win for second-year head coach Becca Moros.

Megan Chelf scored the game's lone goal, netting a long header in the 67th minute after Maddy Koleno chased down a loose ball and lofted it into the box.

Hope Hisey made five saves to seal the win, sending back a pair of point-blank shots late in the second half.

Hisey was named Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Week, while Madison Goerlinger won Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week, the first time Arizona has ever had multiple players win weekly awards in the same week.

Colorado unleashed a stampede of scoring

The Buffaloes' attack was one of the most improved in the Pac-12 last season and continues to be on the rise.

Colorado scored five goals in each of its wins against Weber State and San Diego, the first time the Buffs have scored five or more goals in consecutive contests. 

Maybe most impressive is that seven different players scored, including Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week Shyra James, who leads the Conference with three goals and scored in both games to extend her scoring streak to six games, tying the program's longest since 2006.

Speaking of program records, shout out to head coach Danny Sanchez, who is now tied for the program record with 114 head-coaching wins.

The Huskies netted a WashingTON of goals, too

Washington nearly matched Colorado's scoring total, pouring in eight goals in shutout wins over Fresno State (3-0) and Air Force (5-0), which can all be watched here:

Showcasing their wealth of experience, five of the Huskies' six scorers were upperclassman. The exception was freshman Tatum Thomason, who netted her first career goal in the win over Air Force.

Brace yourself

In addition to Colorado's Shyra James and Civana Kuhlmann, Oregon State's McKenna Martinez, Stanford's Samantha Williams and Utah's Taliana Kaufusi each recorded a brace for their respective teams.

Martinez's goals helped the Beavers secure a 4-1 win over Wyoming, Williams' was key in a 5-0 rout of Sacramento State and Kaufusi's keyed a comeback in the Utes' 2-2 tie at Portland.

Freeman anchored Oregon's undefeated weekend

Junior Leah Freeman reminded us why she was an all-Pac-12 first-team goalkeeper last season, tallying a league-best 14 saves in the opening weekend.

After posting a clean sheet against New Mexico State in Oregon's opener, Freeman stopped nine shots against San Francisco as the Ducks earned a 1-1 draw despite being outshot 24-6.

Cal and Stanford are among the top teams in the world

We know Cal and Stanford are two of the best universities on the planet and their women's soccer teams can make the same claim, too.

Both held their own in exhibitions against the Chinese national team, the 16th-best squad in the world according to FIFA rankings.

The Golden Bears battled back from an early deficit to earn a 2-2 tie, while the 21st-ranked Cardinal edged out a 1-0 win thanks to an 84th-minute strike from Maya Doms. 

UCLA and USC debut their new leaders

UCLA's Margueritte Aozasa and USC's Jane Alukonis each picked up their first career head coaching wins.

No. 13 UCLA topped Iowa thanks to a timely goal from Maricarmen Reyes in the 60th minute. 

A fruitful connection between Croix Bethune and Aaliyah Farmer produced the only goal No. 15 USC needed to squeak by Long Beach State after it suffered a season-opening loss at Purdue.

For more Pac-12 women's soccer coverage, head to Pac-12.com/sport/womens-soccer. 

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