UCLA women's soccer continues its winning ways with a 4-1 victory over Fresno State
Senior forward Sydney Leroux led UCLA to a 4-1 victory over Fresno State with two goals on Sunday night. The Bruins were tied with the Bulldogs going into the second half but scored three consecutive goals for the win.
Women’s soccer
UCLA 4
Fresno State 1
By Mansi Sheth
Sept. 12, 2011 7:10 a.m.
By halftime, a cold wind in Drake Stadium had chilled the modest crowd, but the UCLA women’s soccer team was just getting warmed up.
Tied 1-1 at the end of the first half against Fresno State on Sunday, the No. 4 Bruins surged ahead in the last 45 minutes.
UCLA scored three consecutive goals in the second half, securing a 4-1 victory over the Bulldogs to remain undefeated.
The win sealed a successful homestand for the Bruins, who defeated SMU 1-0 on Friday thanks to a goal in the 10th minute by senior forward Sydney Leroux.
Leroux also found the back of the net early against Fresno State, scoring in the seventh minute.
Sophomore midfielder Jenna Richmond fed the ball past several Bulldog defenders on the left side of the field, leading to a one-on-one matchup between Leroux and Fresno State’s goalkeeper.
The striker, who leads the team in goals scored, confidently shot the ball into the back of the next with her left foot to give UCLA an early lead.
Although the Bulldogs equalized the match near the end of the first half, Leroux came through again in the 57th minute, receiving a pass from junior midfielder Zakiya Bywaters.
Bywaters, who was in the center of the field near the 18 yard box, gave the ball to Leroux on the right side. Her perfectly executed far-post shot slipped into the goal on the left side.
“I think it broke open the gates, getting that second goal and allowed us to take a breath,” said Leroux. “I was a little anxious for a little bit being 1-1.”
The anxiety was warranted, as the Bruins struggled to adapt to Fresno States’s unique formation, a 1-6-3.
“They have an aggressive style and like to swarm the midfield,” said UCLA coach B.J. Snow.
Less than 10 minutes after Leroux’s goal, freshman midfielder Sam Mewis scored her first collegiate goal.
Freshman defender Ally Courtnall sealed the deal soon after, scoring in the 66th minute to hand the Bruins a 4-1 win.
“Luckily, we came out with a good win today; we needed that,” said Leroux. “We have been talking about how we are not really producing (offensively), and we showed today that we definitely can.”
After failing to capitalize several times in the first half, the Bruins’ definitive 4-1 win showed that the team is capable of finding the back of the net more than once in a game.
“I knew that once we were able to finish, we would score some goals,” said Snow, who then shifted his focus to the back line.
“In the first half, our defense allowed them to stay in the game but we made some adjustments during half time. I was actually much happier with our defense than our offense in the second half.”
Redshirt senior goalie Chante Sandiford saw action in the second half of the game. Sandiford, who was a starter last year, has seen limited playing time since the arrival of freshman Katelyn Rowland.
“I was super happy about that,” said Sandiford. “There is a lot of competition for goalkeeper this year. I’m just really glad that this week, I showed myself enough to get out there.”
With tough matches ahead, the team’s success this weekend is an exciting sign for Snow.
“On Friday, I was happy with our possession and today with our perseverance,’ he said. “This team is slowly become more mature, so I’m glad.”
