Following Thursday’s home-opening win over Georgia, the Bruins prepared for their next match much as they usually do.

They watched film, studied the opponents and got ready to face Portland on Sunday.

Junior defender Quincy McMahon had even laced up her cleats for warmups before the team learned the game had been canceled because of inclement weather – California’s first tropical storm in more than 80 years.

“Gamedays are super special, and they’re fairly rare,” said coach Margueritte Aozasa. “Any opportunity to showcase what we’ve been working on and for them to get out on the field is a good one, so they were frustrated with that.”

Despite the disappointment over lost play time, No. 1 UCLA women’s soccer (1-0) is back on the field to prepare for the next round of nonconference opponents. The reigning national champions are scheduled to take on Cal Poly (0-0-1) at Wallis Annenberg Stadium on Thursday evening followed by UC Irvine (1-1) at Anteater Stadium on Sunday.

UCLA’s 2022 nonconference schedule sent the team for a North Carolina road trip, where they conquered then-No. 1 North Carolina and then-No. 2 Duke to take the No. 1 spot in the national rankings. The East Coast matchup also proved important, given the Tar Heels and Bruins wound up facing off in North Carolina for the No. 1 title just a few months later – this time, for the national title.

Although UCLA won’t be crossing the country this season and only has one currently ranked opponent scheduled before conference play, the Bruins are confident their early games will provide ample learning opportunities.

“This nonconference schedule, it may not have some of the bigger names but it still is full of quality teams,” Aozasa said. “I’m looking forward to the schedule. I think it’s well-balanced, and I hope that it will give us plenty of time to kind of work out the kinks before we head into conference.”

Both Aozasa and McMahon said the team’s away games against Irvine and No. 11 BYU would be valuable matchups.

The Bruins’ upcoming opponents, the Mustangs, are going to present their own opportunities for growth, according to McMahon, while replicating some of the Pac-12 environment.

Women’s World Cup

Amid the Bruins’ preseason preparations, exhibition games and start to the 2023 schedule, UCLA also took some time to appreciate and learn from women’s soccer at the highest level.

With the 2023 Women’s World Cup hosted by Australia and New Zealand, the time difference meant it was sometimes difficult for soccer fans in the United States to watch.

“The midnight and 3 a.m. games were not super conducive to a constructive preseason for us,” Aozasa said.

But the Bruins made it work – recording matches and promising not to go on social media until the team could watch it together. Aozasa said she challenged her players to look from a coach’s point of view – analyzing tactics and styles and making predictions.

UCLA saw multiple alumni don national team jerseys for this year’s Women’s World Cup, including Ashley Sanchez of the United States and Jessie Fleming, the captain of the Canadian Women’s National Team.

Junior midfielder Emma Egizii said it was inspirational to see former players from Westwood on the international stage.

“I feel like everyone on the team has similar goals, so it just helps us work harder and keep trying to get those,” Egizii said.

The 2023 Women’s World Cup also broke records in both ticket sales and broadcast numbers, according to FIFA.

Aozasa said the growth in women’s soccer is exciting to watch for her and her team.

“I think (for) most of them, it’s their goal to play on that stage,” Aozasa said. “To see the support that the world showed in those moments, I think was incredible and a huge, huge step for women’s soccer.”

But while some on the 2023 squad may find themselves on that stage in the future, for now, the Bruins are locked in on their upcoming matchups.

UCLA will next take to the pitch Thursday at 7 p.m. against Cal Poly at Wallis Annenberg Stadium.