UCLA’s Big Ten debut is only two days away.

When UCLA women’s soccer kicks off its 2024 season with an exhibition game against LMU on Aug. 10, it will be the first time that the Bruins compete with the Big Ten logo embossed on their jerseys.

“We’re just excited and hungry to get out there, especially changing to the Big Ten,” said senior defender Lilly Reale. “It’ll definitely present new challenges and just be a different style of soccer.”

As UCLA’s conference has changed, the team’s roster has as well.

Last season’s top goal-scorers Reilyn Turner and Ally Cook’s move to the NWSL made room for new faces.

“There’s a lot of new freshmen, I think 10 or 11 of them,” Reale said. “They’ve been here working hard since the beginning of July, taking classes to just try and get into the college lifestyle. We do a lot of team building stuff, … so we’re a pretty close group.”

In the spring, graduate student goalkeeper Ryan Campbell announced her transfer from Stanford to UCLA. With the Cardinal, Campbell earned Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year and All-Pac-12 first team in 2023. Sophomore forward Lily Boyden will join Campbell and freshman forward Bella Winn after transferring from Washington State after one season.

Though lineup changes are inevitable, coach Margueritte Aozasa still boasts numerous tenured players she can rely on in the upcoming season.

Graduate student defender Ayo Oke made a name for herself in the defensive line after trading her Golden Bear badge for a Bruin version last season. At UCLA, Oke was selected to the All-Pac-12 second team in 2023 and started in all 19 games.

“LMU is going to be a statement for our first game,” Oke said. “It’ll be great to set a standard and let everyone know what UCLA is about.”

Alongside Oke will be Reale, who became the first player ever to earn back-to-back Pac-12 Defender of the Year honors after being awarded the title in the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons.

The backline will be largely seniors, adding wisdom to the team.

“I just feel that I have a lot of experience and a lot of different perspectives, … winning a natty and then also having the complete opposite and losing in the first round,” Reale said. “There should be a lot of consistency that we (the backline) can add to the team.”

While this exhibition game won’t count toward either team’s record, the match provides an opportunity to test out new skills developed during the preseason and calm nerves ahead of the regular season. In 2019, UCLA’s season began in a similar fashion, with a 4-1 win in the exhibition game against LMU.

“It’s a diagnostic of sorts,” Aozasa said. “We’re looking for them to be brave, to be courageous and to be willing to try things that they feel like they’re still working on.”

The Bruins will take on the Lions on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Wallis Annenberg Stadium for their season opener. The game will be the first season debut for many players and the last for some, but across the board, it will mark UCLA’s first appearance as part of the Big Ten.