UCLA Heads Back to Pacific Northwest for Games at Washington
Bruins Head to Washington with Pac-12 Title within Reach
UCLA (15-0-2, 7-0-1 in the Pac-12) heads back out to the Pacific Northwest this weekend for games at Washington State (10-2-3, 5-2-1) on Friday at 2pm and Washington (12-4-1, 5-2-1) on Sunday at 3pm. Both games will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks. Washington State and Washington are tied for third place in the Pac-12 standings. Two victories would clinch at least a share of the Pac-12 Championship for the Bruins for the second-straight season and 11th time overall.
UCLA Blasts Oregon Schools
The Bruins came back from Oregon with a pair of shutout wins, downing Oregon State, 3-0, and Oregon, 5-0. Five different goal scorers turned out for the two games, led by Sam Mewis, who had three goals, and Kylie McCarthy, who had two. UCLA scored all three of its goals in the second half in the win at Oregon State. Sarah Killion (45’), Mewis (71’) and McCarthy (74’) provided the offense. Against Oregon, Mewis assisted on the first two goals by Caprice Dydasco (9’) and McCarthy (10’) and then scored the final two goals (62’ and 77’). Taylor Smith scored the middle goal (39’).
In the Rankings
For the 11th-straight week, UCLA is No. 1 across all major polls (NSCAA, Soccer America and Top Drawer Soccer). Washington State is ranked No. 22 by the NSCAA, No. 19 by Soccer America and No. 18 by Top Drawer Soccer. Washington ranks No. 17 by the NSCAA and Soccer America and No. 22 by Top Drawer Soccer.
A Look at the Cougars
Washington State is coming off a successful road weekend, having defeated Utah, 2-1, and Colorado, 4-2. The Cougars rank third in the Pac-12 in team defense with a 0.63 goals against average, allowing just 10 goals this season. Four players lead the team in goals scored with three apiece, and goalkeeper Gurveen Clair has recorded nine shutouts, third-best in the Pac-12.
UCLA is 15-2-4 all-time against Washington State and is unbeaten in the last nine games. The Cougars’ last win came in 2004, 1-0 in Pullman. UCLA won last year’s game in Los Angeles, 2-0, behind goals by Courtney Proctor and Darian Jenkins.
A Look at the Huskies
Washington is unbeaten in its last six games and has shut out four consecutive opponents, including Utah (1-0) and Colorado (0-0) last weekend. Jaclyn Softli leads the Huskies in scoring with 10 goals. Kate Bennett has six with three assists. Goalkeeper Megan Kufeld has recorded seven shutouts. The Huskies will host USC on Friday before playing the Bruins.
UCLA is 15-3-2 all-time against Washington and unbeaten in the last three games. The Huskies’ last victory came in 2010, 1-0 in Los Angeles. The two teams tied 0-0 last year at Drake Stadium.
Numbers and Streaks
UCLA in unbeaten in its last 38 games, its last loss coming Sept. 6, 2013 against North Carolina, 1-0, in Durham, N.C. … The 38-game unbeaten streak is a new school record, breaking the record of 25 set between 2011 and 2012, and the sixth-best streak in NCAA history … UCLA has a 25-game unbeaten streak at home, the 18th-longest home unbeaten streak in NCAA history. The Bruins’ last home loss came Oct. 28, 2012 against Stanford (2-1) … The Bruins had a seven-game, 772-minute shutout streak end on Sept. 12 against Wake Forest … UCLA has shut out 18 of their last 23 opponents … UCLA has outscored its last four opponents, 17-0 … Sam Mewis has a goal or assist in 14 of 17 games this season, including seven consecutive … Sarah Killion has a goal or assist in 10 of 17 games this season … The Bruins have scored eight goals in the first 15 minutes of play this year, including four in the first 10 minutes … Twenty-three of 32 players on the roster have national team experience.
Record-Setting Rowland
Goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland has been rewriting the record books at UCLA. Her latest record broken was her own, as she broke her school mark for consecutive shutout minutes in a single season with 638. Other records set or tied by Rowland this season are: consecutive shutouts in a single season (6) and career shutouts (49). Rowland set a school record in 2013 for single-season shutouts with 15, and her previous two years’ totals also rank in the school’s Top 10. Her 13 shutouts this season rank second on the Bruins’ single-season list. Rowland’s 49 career shutouts are second in NCAA history. She needs just three more to tie the record of 52 set by Wisconsin’s Heather Taggart (1988-91).
Mewis, Killion Climbing Career Charts
Senior midfielders Sam Mewis and Sarah Killion are rapidly climbing up the UCLA career lists for assists and points. Mewis has 28 goals, 28 assists (5th), 10 game-winning goals (10th) and 84 points (8th). Killion is third on the career assist list with 30, and her next assist will move her into a tie for second. She already has a Pac-12 best 10 assists this season, which rank seventh on the school’s single-season Top 10. Killion tied the school record for single-game assists with three against LMU (Mewis also has a share of the record).
Mewis Earn National, Pac-12 Honors
UCLA senior midfielder Sam Mewis continues to rack up the honors, earning Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week acclaim for the second consecutive week and receiving National Player of the Week honors by the NSCAA and Top Drawer Soccer. Mewis recorded three goals and two assists in shutout wins at Oregon State and Oregon.
Stifling Defense
Not only has UCLA shut out 13 of 17 opponents this year, but the team has allowed just 40 shots on goal all season. The Bruins have held three of their opponents to one shot or less and to just 89 shots all season. Twenty-seven of their last 29 opponents have been held to single-digit shot totals.
Bruins Spread Scoring Around
In the Bruins’ last five games, nine different goal scorers have led the Bruins to important conference wins. Against No. 2/3 Stanford, Ally Courtnall and Annie Alvarado scored their first goals of the year to lead the Bruins to a come-from-behind 2-1 victory. In the Bruins’ 3-0 win over No. 22 Cal, Darian Jenkins, Sarah Killion and Zoey Goralski were the goal-scorers. Five Bruins scored in the 6-0 win over Arizona - Taylor Smith, Killion (twice), Caprice Dydasco, Jenkins and Sam Mewis. In the 3-0 win at Oregon State, Killion, Mewis and Kylie McCarthy scored goals for UCLA, and against Oregon, it was Dydasco, McCarthy, Smith and Mewis (twice) who put in goals.
White at World Cup Qualifying
Senior Rosie White is on National Team duty, playing with the New Zealand Women’s National Team at World Cup Qualifying. The Football Ferns won their first qualifying game in a rout, defeating Tonga, 16-0, on Oct. 25. White scored two goals and recorded an assist in the game. She added another assist as New Zealand defeated host Papua New Guinea, 3-0, on Oct. 27.
Playing for Change
The Bruins raised $2800 in donations for Soccer Without Borders this month through t-shirt sales at their Oct. 5 youth soccer clinic and subsequent home games. Fellow non-profit organization Positive Tracks matched the donation, making it a grand total of $5600 raised. The fundraiser was spearheaded by senior co-captain Sam Mewis. UCLA also has an online auction for their white and pink jerseys, with proceeds going towards cancer research and awareness. The auction ends on Oct. 31 at uclabruins.com.
Killion Named Finalist for Senior CLASS Award
Senior Sarah Killion have been selected as a finalist for the 2014 Senior CLASS Award. The award honors student-athletes for their accomplishments both on and off the field.
Killion, a midfielder from Fort Wayne, Ind., is one of UCLA’s top student-athletes, majoring in Psychology and holding a GPA of 3.7. She is also set to graduate early in Fall 2014. Killion is a first-team NSCAA Scholar All-American and Scholar All-West Region honoree, a Capital One Academic All-District second-team recipient and a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection. This season, she ranks second on the UCLA team in scoring with 22 points off six goals and a Pac-12-leading 10 assists. She currently ranks 14th in the nation in assists per game (0.63) and is on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. In 2013, she led the Pac-12 in assists with 12, the third-highest total in UCLA history. She currently ranks third on the school’s career list with 30. Killion earned a call-up to the full U.S. Women’s National Team for the Algarve Cup in March and is also a regular with the U.S. Under-23 National Team.
Four Bruins on Watch List
Four Bruins have been named to the 2014 MAC Hermann Watch List, the most among any team in the nation. UCLA’s nominees are defender Abby Dahlkemper, forward Darian Jenkins, midfielder Sarah Killion and goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland. This is the third time Dahlkemper has been named to the Watch List and the first for Jenkins, Killion and Rowland. Dahlkemper was a finalist in 2013. Sam Mewis is up for the MAC Hermann Fan Vote for a chance to be voted onto the semifinal list.
Senior Strong
UCLA’s senior class is the heart of the Bruin team, nine strong and keepers of a 71-5-11 career record. The class came in as the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation in 2011 and has more than lived up to its billing, leading the Bruins to the 2013 NCAA and Pac-12 Championships.
Eight of the nine seniors - Ally Courtnall, Abby Dahlkemper, Caprice Dydasco, Sarah Killion, Sam Mewis, Megan Oyster, Katelyn Rowland and Rosie White - are regular starters. The other - Kylie McCarthy - has played in 11 games this year, with two starts and two goal and two assists. Three (Dahlkemper, Killion and Rowland) are on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List and are returning All-Americans. Dahlkemper is the reigning Honda Award winner. Four (Defensive MVP Courtnall, Killion, Oyster and Rowland) were named to the 2013 College Cup All-Tournament team. Two (Killion and Mewis) were called up to the full U.S. Women’s National Team this winter for the Algarve Cup, four (Dahlkemper, Dydasco, Killion, Mewis) played with the U.S. Under-23 team this summer, Rowland started for the U.S. Under-20s at the FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup, and White is a regular with the New Zealand Women’s National Team, having played at the 2011 World Cup and 2012 Olympic Games for the Football Ferns.