This post was updated Nov. 5 at 11:29 p.m.

In their inaugural season in the Big Ten, the Bruins encountered a plethora of firsts.

And now, they can add their first victory in the Big Ten tournament to that list.

No. 2 seed UCLA women’s soccer (14-3-3, 8-1-2, Big Ten) shut out No. 10 seed Penn State (12-6-3, 5-4-2), kicking off its postseason with a 1-0 victory in the quarterfinal of the Big Ten tournament at the Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“One of our goals today was to start the game on the front foot,” said coach Margueritte Aozasa. “Everyone was very excited – that was probably the most excited we’ve been after a win in a little while.”

Heading into the match, the Nittany Lions were one of the Bruins’ two draws sustained throughout conference play. Anticipation was high as the match not only brought a 22-year-old history to light, but also a ticket to the Big Ten tournament semifinals.

Four minutes in, the Bruins attempted two shots from the top of the 18-yard box from junior tandem forward Bridgette Marin-Valencia and a shot off the goalpost from midfielder Sofia Cook.

From then on, the Bruins’ defense continued to press the Nittany Lions as only two shots were produced by the latter in the first half. But, with an overturned penalty kick and 11 attempted shots, the Bruins still couldn’t slip past Penn State’s gates.

At the 34 minute mark, senior defender Ayo Oke flew past Penn State’s defense. Oke, who recently returned to the field against USC, sustained an injury earlier in the season, which resulted in the veteran being sidelined for a month.

Oke found freshman defender Paloma Daubert, who eventually punched an assist to freshman defender Nicki Fraser. Fraser’s shot found the bottom left corner of the goal as the ball slipped past Penn State goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress’ fingertips.

“It was such a surreal moment,” Fraser said. “We had worked so hard, and goals had come sparingly for us in the past – now in a quarterfinal game, we were able to produce something.”

Senior defender Jayden Perry added that after the defeat by USC, the goal was to maintain high energy from the start of the match.

“Our goal was to start our half stronger,” Perry said. “Start the game stronger with a lot of energy … be the first team to win the first tackle and get the first shot off.”

The momentum carried into the second half, with UCLA tuning and adjusting against Penn State’s offensive gauntlet. The Bruins’ offense did not miss a beat, taking any and every opportunity to notch a second tally on the scoreboard.

Despite shot attempts by Cook, Daubert and senior defender Quincy McMahon, the Bruins couldn’t find the back of the net in the second half.

Despite the Bruins’ inability to add a second tally, a shut-out from graduate student goalkeeper Ryan Campbell allowed them to secure their ticket to the semifinals.

“We wanted to be able to give everything to the point that we are crawling off the field,” Perry said. “We gave absolutely everything in the game, and I think that showed tonight.”