Jayden Perry had the season on her shoulders.

The senior defender 12 yards away from the goal, locked in on the target as she prepared to strike the decisive shot that would seal the Bruins’ postseason fate.

As the lights shone down over Wallis Annenberg Stadium, No. 2 seed UCLA women’s soccer (17-3-3, 8-1-2 Big Ten) and Cal Baptist (10-7-3, 3-3-1 Western Athletic Conference) stood on opposing sides as the outcome was about to be determined. When the whistle blew, Perry strode forward, shot the ball off her left foot and sent it flying past Cal Baptist goalkeeper Mikayla O’Brien’s hands and into the upper center of the goal.

The shot kicked off the Bruins’ NCAA tournament, as they beat the Lancers 2-1 in round one in front of a home crowd Friday evening.

A year after being upset by UC Irvine in the first round, UCLA broke through to the second on a chilly November night in Westwood.

“They’ve kind of been haunted by the first round, and I think some of those jitters showed today,” said coach Margueritte Aozasa. “I was really proud of the group today – today took grit, today took heart.”

At the beginning of the first half, a streak of white was seen running across the field, seemingly unopposed. Freshman forward Kara Croone took possession of the ball as she began to stride forward to the Lancers’ side of the field.

A minute and four seconds into the match, Croone shot into the center of the unguarded goalpost and lit up the scoreboard for the Bruins’ first tally.

“When I scored, I was just overwhelmed with emotion,” Croone said. “It was truly out of this world.”

Early in the second half, the Lancers began to fire back at the Bruins. Both teams came into combat, with 11 fouls from the Lancers and eight from the Bruins.

Fate was teetering on the edge as graduate goalkeeper Ryan Campbell saved a shot against Cal Baptist’s midfielder Ava Westlund.

Suddenly, the tables began to turn.

Seven minutes before the second half was about to conclude, Cal Baptist forward Morgan Witz passed the ball to forward Lauryn White, who shot the ball to the center of the net past Campbell. The goal marked the first to be conceded by Campbell since Oct. 27. Both sides were now deadlocked at 1-1, causing the match to be pushed into overtime.

With the pressure and uncertainty that the extra time brought, Croone said she found grounding in her teammates.

“We lean on each other through it all,” Croone said. “I looked to my teammates to the left and right of me, and I knew everything was going to be okay – no matter the result.”

Time flew by in the first ten minutes of overtime, with the Bruins taking each opportunity to break the seal. Perry accumulated two close shot attempts – but to no avail.

With neither side able to put away another goal, second overtime commenced.

Then, the momentum shifted as a penalty kick was given to the Bruins almost two minutes in, as Cal Baptist midfielder Natalia Castro committed a foul.

Perry kicked the ball and it landed into the back of the net, marking the end of all that lingered from the year prior.

“When I step up in the game – I’m just fully confident in myself,” Perry said. “I trusted myself – and I made it.”