A 40th-minute goal from sophomore forward Bridgette Marin-Valencia represented more than just the first goal of the match.

“My teammates came up to me – they’re like, ‘Bridgette, just take a shot, just take a shot,’” Marin-Valencia said. “I was really excited and didn’t expect that goal to go in. But hey, for a first goal, it was a banger.”

Marin-Valencia was not the only Bruin to experience her first goal of the season. Freshman forward Taylor Cheatham picked up her first collegiate goal in the 75th minute following an assist from sophomore forward America Frias as No. 4 UCLA women’s soccer (5-1) secured the 3-0 shutout victory on a hot Sunday afternoon against Cal State Northridge (0-7-1).

Coach Margueritte Aozasa said Sunday showed what effect the Bruins’ reserves could have.

“With the way that CSUN played today, they sat in a lower block, and so you can see the strengths of some of our players that maybe don’t start,” Aozas said. “They came off the bench and did a really nice job – so obviously, Bridgette and Taylor came in made immediate impact.”

The Bruins maintained their defense from whistle to whistle, even with a free kick in the 15th minute that failed to produce any result for the Matadors. This is the fourth recorded shutout of the year for sophomore goalkeeper Neeku Purcell.

CSUN actively maintained a presence on the Bruins side of the pitch throughout the match. Even with this strategy, junior defender Jayden Perry credited the success of the defense to the team’s ability to recover.

“We’re organized, so those shots can’t even form and take place in the first place,” Perry said. “I think we could have pulled it out and moved them a little more, but that’s just something that we can learn.”

Senior forward Reilyn Turner doubled the Bruins’ lead with a penalty kick in the 63rd minute. Turner contributed seven of the Bruins’ 24 shots with one shot on goal. The Bruins controlled possession for a majority of the game.

Despite outshooting CSUN by a 22-shot margin, Aozasa said the team will be focusing on perfecting their offensive front.

“I do feel like we still need to kind of tune things up and be a lot cleaner. For instance, we need to be a lot cleaner in front of goal,” Aozasa said. “We can’t have 24 shots and only three goals, … but our sophistication is starting to emerge.

However, the three goals scored harbored more than a win for the Bruins.

Perry said senior defender Maya Evans’ pass to set up Frias and Cheatham emphasized the team’s friendships on and off the field.

“It’s just cool to see those players come off the bench and make an impact for our team because we always say that our team is 33 players,” Perry said. “It takes everyone to win.”