A curving cross flies into the box, seemingly heading directly toward Terrapin defender/midfielder Mia Mitchell.
But then comes forward Oruha Hayashi, brushing shoulders with Mitchell as she jumps through the air to head the incoming ball towards the goal.
The net bulges with Hayashi’s shot, which goes up and over the hands of the goalkeeper. The senior throws her arms in the air in celebration, something she will repeat just ten minutes later when she scores her second goal of the night.
Fueled by Hayashi’s efforts, No. 10 UCLA women’s soccer (7-3-1, 4-1 Big Ten) shutout Maryland (3-7-1, 0-5) with a 2-0 victory on Sunday in College Park. The Bruins lit up the scoreboard after gaining a player advantage in the 70th minute following a red card on a Terrapin defender.
“Some people say we’re a second half team,” said coach Gof Boyoko. “It’s not really that we’re a second half team. It’s that the opponents – they can’t keep up with us for 90 minutes.”
UCLA certainly worked to tire Maryland out, outshooting its opponent 21-9 overall and 15-6 in the second half. Hayashi had a shared team-high five shots on the night, ultimately finding the back of the net – twice – in the last 15 minutes of the game.
Hayashi is the Bruins’ leading goal scorer this season, having notched four since the start of the 2026 campaign. Boyoko has transitioned the former midfielder to a frontline role this season, where she has proved lethal on the attack.
“She’s been a huge part of how we play in midfield, but we know what she can do on the ball in and around the box,” Boyoko said. “So we’re trying to pull her a little bit higher up the field … the way we play the ball, the way we pass the ball and how pretty, how beautiful our football is – it’s really because of her.”
While Hayashi secured the win for UCLA, sophomore midfielder Grace Shank primed the offensive attack. The McLean, Virgina, local sent two shots ricocheting off the crossbar in the 58th and 69th minutes to send early rushes of adrenaline through the Bruins.
“Those two shots that hit the crossbar – that was pretty frustrating,” Shank said. “I was hoping to get a goal, especially since we were home – or I was home, at least, in Maryland – and all of my family and friends were there.”
Shank might have lost the game of inches in the air but was precise on the ground, assisting Hayashi’s second goal in the 87th minute. Standing in front of Maryland’s backline, Shank threaded the needle between two defenders to hit Hayashi in stride.
The pair of second-year Bruins’ chemistry on the field has been on display since they arrived in Westwood. Hayashi assisted Shank’s first goal this year on Sept. 4, and Shank’s sole assist last season found Hayashi.
“I love playing with Ru (Hayashi),” Shank said. “I feel like we read each others’ mind very well. I always know where she’s going to be, and she always knows where I’m going to be. … I was receiving the ball and I just picked my head up and saw Ru making the run in front of the defender and I just placed it in front of her.”
Shank accredited some of UCLA’s success against Maryland to off-ball movement, which proved important when the field was reduced to 21 players in the 70th minute. Terrapin defender Paige Foye picked up her second yellow card and was ejected when she took down junior forward Kara Croone as the latter ran toward a one-on-one with the goalkeeper outside of the 18-yard box.
“There’s a reason why she gets two yellows, right?” Boyoko said. “Because we we put her in a situation where she had to defend. … We make a team chase. First half they’re fresh. You can see they might be able to get to places, but we know that after halftime, at some point, they’re not going to be able to cover that much ground.”
The Bruins’ defense kept it clean Sunday after receiving two yellow cards in its previous game against Rutgers. As a unit, they limited the Terrapins to four shots on goal.
Junior defender Paloma Daubert earned her second consecutive Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor on Tuesday following her performance over the weekend. The Bruins’ backline – helmed by Daubert, who has played all 90 minutes of every game this season – completed its third shutout in a row Sunday.
The victory over the Terrapins concluded the Bruins’ first cross-country travel of the season. UCLA will continue its bout of road games against Oregon in Eugene on Friday.
“For our next game – Oregon – we already talked about it after the game,” Hayashi said. “Get three points.”
Comments are closed.