This post was updated on Oct. 8 at 12:00 a.m.

It only takes one game to climb up the national rankings.

But it only takes one to come spiraling back down.

When then-No. 18 UCLA upset then-No. 1 Stanford 2-0 last month, UCLA climbed 14 spots in the national rankings. This week, formerly No. 4 UCLA fell five spots in the national rankings after Washington served the squad its first loss in nine matches.

“We’re waiting for that game where we really break through,” said sophomore forward Bella Winn. “We were hoping for it to be this game – it wasn’t. But that’s just more motivation to go into the next long trip away and get six points, have our breakthrough and head into the rest of conference play in the tournament on a high.”

This week, No. 9 UCLA women’s soccer (8-3-1, 4-1-1 Big Ten) will face Wisconsin (9-3-1, 3-2-1) in Madison on Thursday and Minnesota (5-6-1, 1-4-1) in Minneapolis on Sunday. The pair of contests will help determine whether the Bruins can rise to the occasion or sink further in the Big Ten.

The Bruins have consistently bested the Badgers. However, a scoreless draw at Wallis Annenberg Stadium last season halted the Bruins’ six-year winning streak.

“Wisconsin (is) quite physical,” said coach Margueritte Aozasa. “We can expect even more physical play as we move forward, so it’s something we’ll have to be ready for.”

The Badgers displayed their physicality in their most recent match against the Golden Gophers when they secured their fifth shutout of the season with a 3-0 victory.

In the Oct. 4 matchup, the Badgers maintained offensive control, tallying 19 shots to the Golden Gophers’ 11. Wisconsin’s physical style was displayed throughout the match, logging 11 fouls to Minnesota’s seven.

Offensive dominance has been a point of strategy in recent weeks. This season, the Bruins average 11.8 shots per game, which falls shy of the Badgers’ and Golden Gophers’ 14.4 mark.

“We want to see more shots on goal. We want to see more plays throwing your body on the line, doing whatever you can to score a goal,” Winn said. “We need that sort of grit that we have defensively on the attack.”

While UCLA’s most recent loss ended an eight-game unbeaten streak, Minnesota’s loss to Wisconsin marked its fourth loss in a row. The Gophers have failed to score in the past two matches, as Michigan – who UCLA toppled 1-0 on Sept. 21 – shut out the squad 1-0 on Sept. 28.

Although the Bruins conceded a goal last week, it was one of two goals allowed in the past nine matches. No squad has managed more than a single goal in any game against UCLA this season.

Last week’s stumble could obscure an improvement in UCLA’s defensive cohesion.

“We need chemistry up top,” Winn said. “They (the defense) need chemistry in the back, and that will come. I trust them back there.”

Last week’s loss stood as a reminder of an imperfect season.

But approaching this week with a mindset of offensive attack and defensive redemption, the Bruins may have set the stage for a breakthrough.

“We’ve had a little bit of some rough games, but we’ve learned from them,” said senior forward America Frias. “I’m just excited to play more Big Ten (games) and compete for that title.”