Ending their pre-conference slate on a sour note, the Bruins departed with a loss.

No. 9 UCLA women’s soccer (5-2-1) concluded its non-conference schedule with a 2-0 loss to Kentucky (7-0), marking its second defeat on the road, which took place Sunday morning in Lexington, Kentucky.

“Today we kind of dug ourselves into a hole, so wasn’t really pleased with today,” said coach Margueritte Aozasa.

The first 17 minutes immediately set the tone of the game, with Kentucky forward Makala Woods gave the Wildcats their first goal off a penalty kick. From there, the Bruins were limited to playing catch-up. In the first half, the squad attempted four shots – but found no luck.

Going into the second half, the Bruins attempted another 11 shots but continued to fall short. Kentucky scored its second goal with a kick to the top right of the net by midfielder Catherine DeRosa.

Throughout the match, the Bruins attempted a total of 15 shots but were unable to find the back of the net, yet they remained optimistic.

“I don’t think it’s something hindering our spirit going forward,” said senior defender Quincy McMahon.

This was also the first time the Bruins hit double digits in fouls so far this season. The team’s total 13 fouls almost doubled that of the seven they found in their matchups against Long Beach State and Santa Clara.

“It’s something we want to look at and we want to limit, but I think it occurs more when you’re a little bit fatigued and a little bit frustrated, and that’s where we’re at right now,” McMahon said.

While the match’s outcome was not optimal for the Bruins, Aozasa said that there were still standout performances from specific Bruins.

“I do want to give a shout out to Peyton (junior midfielder Peyton Marcisz), because she’s not a player that played significant minutes up until today, and she played the entirety of the second half and did a great job in there,” Aozasa said. “Lily Boyden (junior forward) has also been kind of an unsung hero for us and just continues to put in the work.”

As it begins conference play, UCLA has secured victories over notable opponents like BYU and Cal Poly but has also faced losses against Pepperdine and Kentucky. This match was the final tune-up before the Bruins dive into conference play, with their next game against the Ducks in a week.

“What we can take from it is that conference is kind of a new start,” Aozasa said. “I’m really curious to see how our team’s going to come together and respond.”