With the starting whistle still hot, the Bruins were already back behind the center line, standing in their starting formation – this time down one.

After conceding a goal just two minutes into the game, No. 9 UCLA women’s soccer (0-1-1) bounced back to tie No. 3 Duke (1-0-1) 1-1 on Sunday night at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. Both teams netted their goals off fouls before the field was reduced to 21 players following the ejection of Blue Devil defender Jocelyn Travers.

For the second contest in as many played, Duke scored in the opening three minutes of the game. Duke’s goal came off the foot of midfielder Sam Courtwright, who assisted two of her team’s three scores in its season opener against USC.

The Texas Tech transfer capitalized on a free kick – awarded after junior defender Paloma Daubert took down Blue Devil midfielder Yuna Marui outside the box – by threading her long-range shot between the left post of the goal and sophomore goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor’s extended fingertips.

“On the first play, we tried to build and got caught,” said coach Gof Boyoko to UCLA Athletics. “They got a free kick, and on the first shot of the game we’re 1-0 down. We have to find a way to start the game better.”

The Blue Devils would not generate another attempt on goal for the remaining 87 minutes of the game. Apart from a shot from defender Cameron Roller off back-to-back to corner kicks in the 23rd minute, coach Kieran Hall’s team was silent offensively.

Just over four minutes into the second half, senior forward Oruha Hayashi delivered the equalizer for UCLA from the penalty spot after junior defender Nicki Fraser drew a foul in the box after re-entering the game at halftime. Hayashi’s shot stayed low as she drove it to the right corner of the goal past Duke goalkeeper Molly Vapensky, who went diving to the other side.

Hayashi returns for her second season with the Bruins after transitioning from the NJCAA level following two years of play at Iowa Western. She recorded the second-most assists on the team during her debut campaign with UCLA last fall, feeding five goals in addition to netting one of her own.

Possession tipped firmly in favor of the Bruins following the red card on Travers, who was ejected for pulling sophomore forward Payten Cooper’s hair. UCLA created two opportunities with its newly gained player advantage, resulting in shots on goal from sophomore forward Leena Powell and freshman defender/midfielder Molly Hale across the final 15 minutes of the game. Both shots were stopped by Vapensky, who recorded her first three collegiate saves in Sunday’s game.

“We’ve flown over all the way to California, playing against two of the top teams in California and in the Big Ten, and it’s not easy,” Hall told Duke Athletics. “And then, especially when playing a man down, it’s a real test of character. … We have a resilience and mentality that if things don’t go well, we are willing to dig in.”

Sunday marked the Bruins’ second game with Boyoko at the helm, after he stepped into the head coaching role ahead of the 2026 season following four years as an assistant. UCLA entered the season as the second-highest ranked team in the Big Ten but is still searching for its first win as it narrows in on conference play.

Over 800 fans were in the stands at Wallis Annenberg to watch the ranked matchup. UCLA will conclude its three-game opening series at home Thursday, when it faces San Diego.