Ducks Battle but Fall Late to No. 22 UCLA

Saturday, September 14

7:00 PM

University of Oregon

4-4-0, 0-1-0

UCLA

6-2-1, 1-0-0

UCLA

Oregon

Photo by: Kallie Hansel-Tennes/GoDucks.com

09/14/24 | Women's Soccer

Box Score Box Score - No. 22 UCLA 2, Oregon 1

EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon kept No. 22 UCLA off the scoreboard for most of the game and took a 1-0 lead in the 77^th minute, but the Bruins scored twice in the final 11 minutes and – with the help of a penalty kick – fought off a determined Duck squad, 2-1, Saturday night at Papé Field.

It was the Big Ten opener for both teams.

"I mean really proud of the kids," said Oregon head coach Graeme Abel. "I mean, the effort we put forth. UCLA is obviously a top team, they'll do well this year. But, I thought our kids defended outstandingly well."

How It Happened: Oregon (4-4, 0-1) had the first dangerous chance of the game in the 15^th minute when Haley McWhirter headed a cross from Cameron Bourne on frame and UCLA goalkeeper Ryan Campbell had to make a diving save to keep the game scoreless.

The Bruins (6-2-1, 1-0-0) then pressed the Oregon goal for the remainder of the half, but the Ducks' back line stood firm, withstanding 16 shot attempts. Goalkeeper Maddy Goldberg made seven of her season-high 11 saves in the opening frame as the game stood 0-0 heading into intermission.

"I felt like our defense really controlled it," said Goldberg. "We came in at halftime, we were really happy with the defending that was going on. So, you know, the number shows I made a lot of saves, but the defense makes it a lot easier for me."

Maddy Goldberg

The Ducks came out on the attack after halftime and fired three shots at the UCLA net – one each by McWhirter, Cloe Chase and Lauren Kenny – in the first three minutes of the second half as the Ducks found some attacking lanes through the Bruin defense.

UCLA was called offside in the 76^th minute, and on the restart, the Ducks worked the ball along the right side before Lucy Green lifted a pass up the field beyond UCLA's defense to set Kenny up with a one-on-one versus the UCLA keeper. Campbell made a diving save on Kenny's attempt, but Taylor Bryan cleaned up the rebound for her third goal of the season, giving Oregon a 1-0 lead.

"In the moment, it felt really good, honestly," said Bryan. "I felt like we were looking for a momentum shift and I feel like that's exactly what it was. And I felt like everybody on the field, our entire team, I think we all felt it."

Taylor Bryan

The momentum turned back to UCLA when the Ducks were called for a foul on the far edge of their own penalty area. Sunshine Fontes converted the penalty kick to knot the game at 1-1 in the 80th minute.

Three minutes later, Jordan Geis scored the game-winner for the Bruins.

Notable: The goal was the 10^th of her career for Bryan. … Kenny's assist was the second of the season and third career. … Goldberg's 11 saves were the second-highest of her career; she tied the school single-game record with 15 saves against Stanford last year. … Saturday was Green's 80^th career match. … The Ducks have scored in all eight matches this season.

Quotable:
Goalkeeper Maddy Goldberg
"I think the way we played just definitely shows the growth we've made, just compared to the last games we played against them (a 4-0 loss in 2023), you know, we fought the whole night. We knew it was going to be a battle, and, you know, we battled the whole 90 minutes, and it just didn't go our way."

Up Next: Oregon makes its first Big Ten road trip, going to Rutgers on Thursday (4 p.m. PT) and remains on the East Coast to play Maryland on Sunday (10 a.m. PT).

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