After tallying their first loss of the season, the Bruins entered this week’s snowy matchup with ice in their veins.

“We were like, ‘We got to be icy,’” said sophomore defender Jayden Perry. “We got to come out with our swag back, and that’s what we did.”

Amid snow and sub-45 degree temperatures, No. 1 UCLA women’s soccer (15-1, 7-1 Pac-12) bounced back from its loss against Stanford with a takedown of Utah (6-6-4, 2-4-2) by a score of 3-0 in Salt Lake City, courtesy of first-half goals from freshman midfielder Sofia Cook and sophomore forward Lexi Wright. Utah had entered the matchup after just having forced No. 15 USC to a draw Thursday, but the Utes were unable to shut out the Bruins on Sunday.

“This last week of training, we just had to refocus. (We) went back to the basics for a few things that maybe we had kind of stopped being as disciplined about,” said coach Margueritte Aozasa. “They played this weekend like they had a chip on their shoulder, something to prove, and I thought with two wins, they did that.”

At Thursday’s first showing of the road trip, UCLA led Colorado 2-0 by the 16th minute. This time around, the Bruins took their time – a whole 18 minutes – getting on the board against the Utes.

Credited with an assist, junior midfielder/forward MacKenzee Vance gave the ball to sophomore defender Quincy MacMahon, who charged with the ball toward the goal only to make a swift pass to Wright. The forward, who was directly in front of the box, made a sliding kick that sent the ball straight to the back of the net.

Subbing in in the 25th minute, Cook needed less than seven minutes to find her way to the back of the net for the sixth time this season. Cook, tripping up Utah midfielder Kylee Geis with a quick steal, had a straight 32-foot shot past the Ute goalkeeper. The Bruins’ third-leading scorer, Cook and her solo goal put the blue and gold up 2-0 before the half.

Cook said the goal was a reflection of the Bruins’ efforts at practice to improve on the press and pick the ball off the opposing team.

“Every time I score, it’s just exciting,” Cook said. “I don’t know if the feeling will ever get old for me.”

On Saturday, Cook was rated No. 18 in Top Drawer Soccer’s midseason top 100 freshmen list. Midfielder Ally Lemos also made an appearance at the No. 3 spot on the list.

Aozasa said the two freshmen have been playing very technically and creatively, and this weekend was no exception.

“Credit to them for stepping into a difficult situation, if you will, being on a top team in the country,” Aozasa said. “They’ve played with, I think, wisdom and composure beyond their years, and this weekend was no different.”

The freshmen have made space in the lineup for themselves among a squad of veteran talent, and Cook said it has felt great to make an impact when everyone has to fight for their spot.

Cook added that it’s a good feeling to have her work recognized by the No. 18 ranking.

“I don’t know if I was expecting it, but I knew I was definitely going to work for it,” Cook said. “I don’t think you should expect anything, but I knew I was going to put in the work to put myself to be rewarded for that position.”

Halftime saw the Bruins pacing the Utes in shots 7-3, but despite matching UCLA with six shots apiece in the second half, Utah was ultimately unable to score.

The blue and gold sits solidly at the top of the nationwide defensive rankings with just seven goals allowed this season, and Perry said the tight-knit defensive squad has put in the time off the field to get where they are.

“It’s just a learning thing,” Perry said. “We use what we learned in our next games, and it’s paid off, as you can see with our shutouts.”

While Utah was held scoreless on six attempts in the second half, the blue and gold found the back of the net once more. Sophomore midfielder Emma Ezigii’s pinpoint passing gave graduate student forward Ally Cook the ball, which she capitalized on by swerving past the goalkeeper to find the back of the net in the 73rd minute.

Ally Cook’s goal capped off the Bruins’ scoring to leave Ute Field with 3-0 on the scoreboard.

The Salt Lake City showdown also served as a reunion for Aozasa and Utah head coach Hideki Nakada, who coached alongside Aozasa for six seasons at Stanford.

“Hideki and I have always been super close, so we knew today was going to be a fun game,” Aozasa said. “We have a lot of respect for Utah, how they play and kind of what they’re doing with the program.”

Following the road trip, just two weeks of the regular season remain. UCLA is next set to face off against Washington State and Washington at home this week as the blue and gold’s final conference matchup, against conference rival No. 15 USC, looms on the horizon Nov. 4.