No. 1 UCLA women’s soccer faced a test last week against No. 3 Stanford. Despite going down by a goal, the Bruins were able to pass the test against the Cardinal with flying colors and eventually take the contest 2-1. Read more...

Photo: Senior defender Abby Dahlkemper said that the Bruins will need to get back into their defensive rhythm after never having kept a clean sheet against ranked Pac-12 teams – the Bruins conceded one goal apiece against then-No. 24 Arizona State and No. 3 Stanford. UCLA will have a chance to snap that streak when it faces No. 22 Cal on Monday. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)

No matter how good a team’s defense may be, the reality of sports is if you can’t score, you can’t win. Sometimes, simply finding ways to score is a task easier said than done – especially in games where the opponents decide to make stopping the offense a priority. Read more...

Photo: Throughout No. 1 UCLA women’s soccer’s undefeated season, coach Amanda Cromwell (center) and her coaching staff have implemented several different tactical setups that have helped the team overcome some of the tougher defenses it has faced in the season. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)

One word that could aptly describe the Utah women’s soccer team is ‘underdogs.’ Despite posting an undefeated 7-0-3 record, UCLA’s Friday opponent continues to lie as a sleeper team outside the NSCAA Coaches top 25 poll, ready to spring an upset against higher ranked teams. Read more...

Photo: Senior midfielder Sam Mewis said the key to stopping Utah’s counterattack on Friday will lie in UCLA being disciplined on defense. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)