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Margueritte Aozasa prepares to lead women’s soccer against former team Stanford

Coach Margueritte Aozasa thanks the referees after the game. Aozasa is in her first year as head coach for the Bruins. (Joseph Jimenez/Assistant Photo editor)

Women's Soccer


Stanford
Friday, 6 p.m.

Stanford
Pac-12 Networks

By Shane Smith

Oct. 13, 2022 5:24 p.m.

After a perfect start at her new home, Margueritte Aozasa is headed back to the school where her coaching career began.

The former Cardinal assistant coach and No. 1 UCLA women’s soccer (13-0, 5-0 Pac-12) will kick off a run of three straight road games beginning with a top-10 matchup against No. 9 Stanford (11-2-1, 4-1) at the Cagan Stadium on Friday. The unanimous top team in the country will aim to add to their perfect 13-0 start – the best in program history.

An assistant coach at Stanford for seven years before making her way to Westwood, Aozasa said returning to Palo Alto brings up memories of her time with the Cardinal.

“I feel every single emotion I could imagine,” Aozasa said. “I feel a ton of gratefulness and just appreciation for my time at Stanford and how it set me up to be successful here.”

In addition to marking her own homecoming, Aozasa also noted the importance of this matchup as a mental health awareness game in honor of Katie Meyer, the former Cardinal goalkeeper who took her own life in March.

“I have not actually been on campus since Katie’s passing, and so I know that’s going to be a heavy moment for me, but I know that this game is a way to honor her, and I know our players take that really seriously,” Aozasa said.

Last Sunday, UCLA fought for a victory over Arizona, securing a 1-0 victory thanks to senior forward Sunshine Fontes’ strike in the 83rd minute.

After playing the first three seasons of her collegiate career with Oregon, graduate student forward Ally Cook – who granted Fontes the assist on the game-winning goal Sunday – noted how different it is to play for a UCLA program that has only lost twice in its last 50 games.

“From the very get-go, it was saying ‘Oh, we’re going to win a national championship,’” Cook said. “We know when we’re scrimmaging ourselves, we’re probably playing the hardest game we’ll play that week.”

Sophomore defender Jayden Perry – who has started in 12 of UCLA’s 13 games this season – said the team has grown exponentially under the new coaching staff.

“They’ve been doing a good job teaching us little things, especially for me for the back line,” Perry said. “Just how close we are to each other, we have everyone’s backs.”

Part of UCLA’s success this season has been its goal-scoring prowess – tallying 40 total goals in 13 games – the most in the Pac-12 and tied for fourth most in the nation. In their last three games, the Bruins have outscored their opponents by a combined total of 10-0.

Aozasa also identified strong bonds between the players as key to the team’s early success.

“Our biggest thing was just this overall team buy-in and the camaraderie (between) our players right now,” Aozasa said. “They’re in a groove where they’re playing with a lot of confidence, and they’re playing with a lot of composure, but that comes from their willingness to work hard for each other.”

UCLA and Stanford will kick off from Palo Alto on Friday at 6 p.m.

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Shane Smith | Sports contributor
Smith is currently a contributor on the beach volleyball beat. He was previously a contributor on the men's soccer beat.
Smith is currently a contributor on the beach volleyball beat. He was previously a contributor on the men's soccer beat.
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