A season-long struggle was dismantled Thursday afternoon.

Thanks to two goals in the first half, No. 2 seed UCLA women’s soccer (15-3-3, 8-1-2 Big Ten) advanced to the Big Ten Championships final after a 2-0 victory over No. 6 seed Washington (10-6-3, 7-4) at the CITYPARK Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri.

In the second minute, Washington allowed UCLA a goal – snapping a first half scoring drought that often plagued the Bruins.

The score, however, was all but conventional.

The Bruins accidentally scored their own goal off a right-footed deflection from a corner kick into the bottom center of their own net. This early misstep unexpectedly gave the Bruins a lead within the first five minutes of play.

“It also came as a byproduct of us kind of starting the game on the front foot, which is something we’ve been really trying to do over the last two or three games,” said coach Margueritte Aozasa.

Thursday’s match also saw about an hour delay due to the USC vs. Rutgers game going into overtime, giving UCLA more time to warm up.

“We did have an extended warm up,” said senior defender/forward Quincy McMahon. “I think that kind of, not so much threw us off but made the anticipation a little bit longer, but I felt like we handled that really well.”

The first goal in the opening frame gave UCLA a lead it could capitalize off of, ultimately helping it earn a final berth.

“Any time you score early, it allows you to play with more confidence and composure as the game goes on. We didn’t feel like we had to chase the game at all,” Aozasa said. “Not sure what Washington’s tactics were coming into the game, but any time you concede that early, that puts the pressure on right away.”

UCLA continued to apply pressure, taking a total of seven shots in the first half alone. Its second goal came in the 34th minute, when McMahon delivered a cross to senior defender Ayo Oke, who finished with a left-footed shot to the bottom right corner.

Oke – who contributed one goal and four assists in 2023 – scored her first goal of the season after returning from injury in UCLA’s final regular season match.

“After scoring the goal, I was just super excited to finally get one for the team and to get us another lead,” Oke said. “To put some more separation in the score line, to make it a little bit more comfortable for us throughout the game.”

Washington launched two solid shots on goal in the first half, both skillfully saved by graduate goalkeeper Ryan Campbell, who earned her 14th shutout of the season.

The Bruins sparked an attacking frenzy, firing 12 shots in the second half to reach 19 total shots. However, the Huskies’ defense held firm, with goalkeeper Olivia Juarez making five saves and Mia Hamant adding two of her own, ultimately stalling UCLA’s scoring efforts. Juarez took Hamant’s place after Hamant was accidentally hit in the head by Oke.

Eight of the 19 shots fired by the Bruins were on goal, a testament to the team’s objective to come out firing off the bat.

“That’s amazing to hear because that’s something that we’ve been really striving for and trying to create just this whole year,” McMahon said. “We are just trying to get really good quality opportunities and quality shots, and I think we did great with the chances that we had.”