Five Bruins Receive All-Pacific Region Honors
Five members of the College Cup-bound UCLA women's soccer team have earned All-Pacific Region honors by the United Soccer Coaches. Three Bruins – goalkeeper Lauren Brzykcy, defender Lilly Reale and forward Reilyn Turner - received first-team honors, while midfielders Sunshine Fontes and Ally Lemos earned second-team acclaim. Brzykcy and Turner earn their third career honors, Reale is a first-team selection for the second-straight year, and Fontes and Lemos received their first-ever All-Region awards.
Brzykcy, a graduate student from San Clemente, Calif., was a first-team honoree in 2020 and second-team selection in 2021. The 2020 Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year leads the conference this year in goals against average (0.52), shutouts (8 solo, 5 shared), save percentage (.847) and wins (20). She tied her career-high in single-game saves with nine at No. 2 Duke and added eight at USC, and she has moved into fourth on UCLA's career saves list with 222 and counting. She is also in UCLA's Top 5 for career shutouts with 28 (fifth) and for wins with 57 (fourth). Brzykcy, who will be going to her third career College Cup this weekend, was honored as the Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Week three times this season, running her career total to eight, which ties former teammate Teagan Micah for most in school and conference history. Brzykcy also earned all-conference honors for the third time in her career, being selected to the second team.
Reale, a sophomore from Hingham, Mass., repeats as a first-team All-Region honoree. The 2022 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year has started and played in 22 games, leading the Bruins to a conference-best 13 shutouts and a 0.51 goals against average that ranks sixth nationally. A two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week, she has also contributed offensively, scoring one goal with one assist, and she leads all UCLA field players in minutes played with 1,843. Reale also earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors for the second consecutive year.
Turner, a junior from Laguna Niguel, Calif., receives her first first-team All-Region honor after being named to the second team in 2020 and 2021. A first-team All-Pac-12 selection this season, Turner has racked up her third consecutive 20-point season, totaling nine goals and three assists. She leads the conference and ranks fourth nationally in game-winning goals (six) and ranks 10th in the conference in goals scored (nine). Turner has two multiple-goal games this season, including a hat trick at Oregon, and has tallied six multiple-goal games in her career to move into fifth all-time at UCLA. With 30 career goals, Turner is one goal shy of tying Sam Mewis for 10th on UCLA's career goals chart.
Fontes is UCLA's leading scorer with career-highs of 11 goals and 29 points. Her seven assists rank second on the team and are a career-best for her as well. She ranks in the Top 25 nationally in points scored and is third in the Pac-12 in goals and points, second in game-winning goals (four) and sixth in assists (seven). Fontes, who is the all-time leading scorer for U.S. U-17 National Team with 24 goals, has recorded a goal or an assist in 11 of UCLA's last 17 games. The senior from Wahiawa, Hawaii was named to the All-Pac-12 second team and earned Pac-12 and National Player of the Week honors on August 29 after recording a hat trick against CSUN and following it up with the game-winner at Santa Clara.
Lemos, a freshman from Glendora, Calif., is one of just three freshmen on the first or second All-Pacific Region team. A third-team All-Pac-12, as well as a Pac-12 All-Freshman selection, Lemos has started every game for the Bruins, one of just two players to do so. She leads the team in assists with eight, which ranks third in the Pac-12, and she ranks third on the Bruin team in minutes played with 1,784. Lemos scored her first collegiate goal in the 4-0 win over Arizona State on Oct. 6.
To view the full list of honorees, click here.
UCLA will play Alabama in the semifinals of the NCAA College Cup in Cary, N.C. on Friday, Dec. 2 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT. The match will be televised live on ESPNU. This is UCLA's 12th College Cup appearance and third in the last six years. UCLA is seeking its first NCAA Championship since winning in 2013 in Cary.