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The Daily Wildcat

The Daily Wildcat

 

No. 15 Arizona soccer comes away empty handed against UCLA, USC

Aubrey+Yeo+%2F+Daily+BruinArizona+forward+Kaitlyn+Lopez+%285%29+maneuvers+the+ball+around+UCLA+defender+Madison+Tye+%2819%29+during+the+Wildcats+loss+Friday%2C+Oct.+9.+The+Wildcats+were+swept+by+both+UCLA+and+USC+by+a+goal+differential+of+8-2.+
Aubrey Yeo

Aubrey Yeo / Daily Bruin

Arizona forward Kaitlyn Lopez (5) maneuvers the ball around UCLA defender Madison Tye (19) during the Wildcats’ loss Friday, Oct. 9. The Wildcats were swept by both UCLA and USC by a goal differential of 8-2.

After a lopsided 5-1 defeat at the hands of UCLA on Friday night, the No. 15 Arizona women’s soccer team was looking to rebound against USC on Sunday afternoon. However, the Wildcats would ultimately lose 3-1.

There was no score in the first half, but Arizona was able to control the ball for most of the first 45 minutes.

In the 29th minute, Jessica Nelson and Haley Silverberg were able to get shots on net for the Wildcats, but USC keeper Sammy Prudhomme was there to save them both.

USC had a great chance to score when a nicely placed cross into the box created a point blank look, but the shot sailed over the crossbar.

Just before the half ended, a flip throw by Jaden DeGracie was headed by Hannah Stevens, but again was saved.

Arizona finished with seven shots in the first half to the Trojans’ six.

While neither team was able to get on the board in the first half, USC began to quickly take control in the second.

In the 49th minute, another well-placed cross by the Trojans created a dangerous look, but the shot went wide.

The Wildcats did have a chance in the 55th minute when Kaitlyn Lopez intercepted a pass deep in USC’s side of the field and tried to place a shot in the top left corner of the net, but it too sailed high.

The Trojans would counter Arizona’s shot opportunity with one of their own. The ball was passed from near the top of the box to the corner, where it was then crossed into the middle. Jamie Fink collected the cross and knocked it into the net for the game’s first goal. Arizona keeper Lainey Burdett did manage to get a piece of the shot, but it was deflected into the back of the net to give USC a 1-0 lead in the 57th minute.

Burdett made her first start since Sept. 18. She was Arizona’s primary keeper earlier in the season, but an injury led to Rachel Estopare taking over the bulk of goalkeeping duties. Estopare had played well but surrendered five goals to UCLA, which seemingly led Arizona head coach Tony Amato to go with Burdett in this one.

Down a goal, the Wildcats nearly tied things up in the 67th minute when a shot by Chelle Mahoney off a cross was placed near the right side of the net, but the USC keeper was able to make the save.

The Trojans would then make it 2-0 in the 80th minute when a cross from Kayla Mills was one-timed into the bottom right corner of the net by Sydney Johnson for an insurance goal.

Arizona struggled to keep USC out of the corners in the second half, and it led to plenty of crosses for the Trojans. The Wildcats did a good job of clearing them in the first half, but the Trojans were able to convert in the second half.

Arizona did make things interesting, though, when Erica Stephan scored on a corner in the 85th minute to make it 2-1. It was the first goal of her career.

The Wildcats’ late surge wouldn’t last much longer, however, as the Trojans would put the game out of reach just two minutes later, when Jamie Fink scored her second goal of the night to make it a 3-1 game, which would end as the final score.

The UCLA game, on the other hand, was a similar story. UCLA scored quickly on a corner kick.In fact, the next four goals would all be scored by the Bruins. In the 86th minute, Chelle Mahoney scored her first-career goal to prevent the shutout loss.

It’s the third straight loss for the Wildcats, who are now 2-3 in the Pac-12 Conference and 8-4-1 overall. Their next match is Friday night against No. 21 Washington State in Pullman, Washington.


Follow Ryan Kelapire on Twitter.


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