Skip to main content

Pac-12 Conference

The Conference
of Champions

UCLA crowned NCAA National Champions to wrap 2022 Pac-12 Women’s Soccer season

Dec 7, 2022
Jesus Ramirez

2022 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament Bracket | Printable | Pac-12 Record Book | Schedule | Standings | Pac-12 Statistics | NCAA Statistics 

National Champions 

  • On Monday night, the UCLA Bruins added another star to their belt after pulling a 3-2 come-from-behind overtime win over North Carolina, becoming the NCAA Women’s Soccer National Champions for the second time in program history. 
  • The Bruins' sixth appearance in the National Championship game was a tale of overcoming adversity as UCLA, despite outshooting North Carolina 20-13, found themselves down 2-0 late into the second half. The No. 1 seed was able to rally back, scoring two goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation, including the game-tying goal with 16 seconds left on the clock to force extra time. After a scoreless first 10 minutes of OT, UCLA was able to net the go-ahead goal in the 107th minute to secure the National Championship title.
  • UCLA’s 3-2 feat was the first time in NCAA Championship history that a program had come back from a two-goal deficit to win the title.
  • The Bruins secured the Championship for only the second time in their program history. Nine years in the making, the Bruins have been seeking their second title since 2013 when they captured the championship over Florida State in the finals. 

Road to the Championship

  • In the Final Four match that led the Bruins into the Championship match, UCLA took on Alabama, who was making its first ever College Cup appearance. UCLA was able to take an early lead and hold onto it through the duration of the match, resulting in a 3-0 shutout, its second of the postseason.

Postseason Performers

  • On Monday night UCLA head coach Margueritte Aozasa became the first head coach in NCAA Women’s Soccer history to win a National Championship in their first season. She also became just the second Asian American and fourth female head coach to win a title. 
  • Nine Bruins are responsible for the 15 goals scored in the postseason with four players scoring a single goal, four banking two goals and one earning a high of three goals.
  • Junior forward Reilyn Turner was to thank for putting the Bruins on the board in the College Cup match against Alabama, scoring in the 29th minute to create momentum. More notably, Turner sent in a goal off a corner kick just 16 seconds before North Carolina was slated to take the Championship, forcing the match in overtime and an eventual Bruin victory. Turner was eventually named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the 2022 NCAA Tournament and earned a spot on the NCAA All-Tournament team. 
  • Lilly Reale who saw every minute, a combined 600, of all six tournament matches earned herself the Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the 2022 NCAA Tournament honor and a spot next to four of her teammates on the NCAA All-Tournament team. 
  • Maricarmen Reyes and Lexi Wright were both big contenders in the final match of the Championship with Wright finally getting the Bruins on the board with 10 minutes left in regulation and Reyes coming up behind her to score the winning goal in the second overtime. Earlier in the postseason, Wright also earned herself a brace against NAU and was eventually named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team on Monday. 
  • The only other time UCLA was at a deficit in a postseason match was in the second round against Central Florida. When the Knights scored in the 34th minute Jackie Gilday was quick to respond back three minutes later to keep the Bruins in the running and force the game to OT.
  • The five remaining UCLA scorers make up eight of the 15 goals with Sunshine Fontes, Madeyln Desiano and Quincy McMahon each scoring two and Emma Egizii and Sofia Cook scoring one a piece. 
  • Freshman midfielder Ally Lemos, who assisted three goals including the equalizer against UNC, was the final Bruin to earn a spot on the NCAA All-Tournament team. 
  • Star goalkeeper Lauren Brzykcy was a force in the goal against tournament opponents. Allowing only four goals over six games, she banked a goals-against-average of 0.52 and picked up three shutouts. Brzykcy made 24 saves compared to her opponents' 45 thanks to a killer defense that assisted in keeping Brzykcy’s job easy.

Pac-12 Postseason Honors

  • For the second time in her career, USC's Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year Croix Bethune was named a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist. During the 2022 season, Bethune led the Trojans in all offensive areas with eight goals, nine assists and 25 points. She also earned her second United Soccer Coaches All-American First Team honor, becoming only the second Trojan to receive it twice.
  • Pac-12 Defender of the Year Lilly Reale earned Second Team All-America honors after leading the Bruins to a Pac-12 best 14 shutouts and an NCAA title. 
  • STANFORD's Maya Doms joined the All-America Second Team for the first time in her career following the Cardinal's Pac-12 Championship and an All-Region first team honor. 
  • Nicole Douglas rounded out the Conference's All-American list, becoming ARIZONA STATE's first ever two-time All-American. Douglas earned a second team spot on the heels of being named Pac-12 Forward of the Year with a league-high 14 goals and 31 points, finishing as the program's all-time leader in goals (60), points (141) and game-winning goals (18).  

Historical Postseasons

  • Thanks to UCLA, Pac-12 programs have now combined for seven national championships, all since 2007 (Stanford 2011, 2017, 2019; USC 2007 & 2016; UCLA 2013 & 2022) - tying for most of any conference over that span (ACC - 7).
  • Pac-12 Programs have taken the National Championship in four of the last seven seasons, five in the last 10, and six in the last 12. 
  • A Pac-12 program has reached the NCAA Women’s College Cup final in 12 of the last 22 years.
  • Pac-12 programs have combined for 28 all-time College Cup appearances, including 24 since 2000.
  • The UCLA Bruins entered the NCAA Tournament for the 25th time in program history and seventh time in a row, garnering a No. 1 seed for the fifth time and first time since 2014. Their appearance in the Elite Eight was the 14th in program history and first since 2019, their appearance in the College Cup is their 12th all-time and first since 2019, and their Championship match was their sixth in program history.
  • Jasmine Aikeys four-goal game against San Jose State in the first round of the Tournament added to the conference's postseason multi-goal legacy. The last three players in the country to have four-goal postseason matches were Pac-12ers (Jasmine Aikey, STAN; Catarina Macario, STAN; Penelope Hocking, USC). Additionally, five of the nine women in the country to score four goals in a postseason match have been Pac-12 players.