Thus far, the Bruins have dribbled their way to a dominant season.

With a new head coach at the helm, the blue and gold is off to its best start in program history and sits atop the national rankings – a picture-perfect beginning.

But soccer is an inherently unpredictable sport.

UCLA women’s soccer has been unbeatable so far through 13 games, but that means nothing if they can’t bring home wins against ranked opponents. The next test for the Bruins’ campaign will come at the hands of first-year coach Margueritte Aozasa’s last place of employment.

Aozasa – who has quickly made a name for herself with UCLA after she was hired in December – spent the last seven years as an assistant coach for Stanford. During Aozasa’s time with the Cardinal, Stanford cranked out two NCAA championships in 2017 and 2019 – a feat UCLA has been unable to accomplish since 2013.

Since the Bruins’ leadership switch, they have clinched the No. 1 ranking and national acclaim. But not every one of their wins has been easy, including a nail-biting victory over Arizona on Sunday.

“Great teams find a way, and today (Sunday) was an example of that,” Aozasa said after the win over the Wildcats.

In its closest game yet this season, the blue and gold nearly faced the consequences of remaining undefeated for so long. Eventually, adversity strikes.

With the clock dwindling, the nets gaining dust and the crowd growing restless, leading scorer and senior forward Sunshine Fontes saved the day with a direct hit to the back left corner of the net in the 83rd minute.

Adversity struck, and the Bruins responded.

“We just now know that we need to be on the front foot every time with any team,” said graduate student goalkeeper Lauren Brzykcy.

UCLA fans in the nearly sold-out Wallis Annenberg Stadium on that sunny Sunday afternoon were overcome with relief at the Bruins’ slim victory. But, with a daunting opponent waiting in the wings, the victory paints UCLA in a potentially frightening light.

Stanford is tied for second in the Pac-12 – just behind the Bruins. At No. 9 nationally, it is the only currently ranked team UCLA will face until its Pac-12 finale, the famous crosstown rivalry game against No. 18 USC.

The Bruins’ 2021 campaign ended in heartbreaking fashion. After UCLA was predicted by some to win its first national championship in eight years, the blue and gold was defeated by UC Irvine in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

In order to prevent the events of last November from happening again, UCLA must continue to prove itself against top-ranked opponents.

This season, however, there’s a new leader in Westwood. While some may call Aozasa’s ease with leading the blue and gold beginner’s luck, it seems UCLA’s reset of the program has provided the fresh start that it needed.

Until Sunday, the Bruins seemed unbeatable and unshakable every time they stepped on the field, collecting multiple goals before halftime and managing a total of eight shutouts this season. But Sunday proved UCLA is imperfect, just like any team.

But it seems as though the blue and gold are prepared for the gauntlet that is thrown at is on a week-to-week basis, a byproduct of wearing the No. 1 title next to their name.

“When we’re No. 1, we have that target on our back,” said graduate student midfielder Maricarmen Reyes. “But I think it’s an awesome thing to have.”

Only time will tell if it’ll be another early season-ending defeat or a national championship for the Bruins.