Nebraska women’s soccer faced off against USC and UCLA this week, in their first road trip to Los Angeles since the two schools joined the Big Ten Conference.
On Sunday, the Huskers fell to the UCLA Bruins 3-0.
Entering the match, UCLA was tied for fourth place in the conference with Iowa, which beat Nebraska earlier in the season.
In the seventh minute, senior goalie Cece Villa over-pursued the ball, leaving an open net for UCLA, but freshman defender Karli Williams cleared the ball in the nick of time.
The Bruins were off to an early attacking start, putting up seven total shots in the first 15 minutes, four of which came on goal. The Huskers only managed one during that time, but Villa notched three saves.
Nebraska senior forward Reagan Raabe notched the first shot for the Huskers in the 15th minute. Junior midfielder Ella Rudney shot the team’s second shot of the game in the 18th minute, which was saved by UCLA goalie Daphne Nakfoor.
The Bruins pulled out to a 1-0 lead on a set piece goal from the right side of the box, scored by sophomore forward Bella Winn in the 26th minute. Two minutes later, UCLA tacked on another goal, with Winn swooping towards the box for a tap-in after a Nebraska deflection.
At the halftime break, UCLA had 20 shots with 11 on goal, while the Huskers sat at just two. Villa notched 9 saves.
Raabe put up the third shot of the game for Nebraska in the 50th minute.
The Bruin offense didn’t let up, scoring in the 57th minute to push their lead to 3-0. Raabe had the closest opportunity of the game for the Huskers in the 81st minute, but Nakfoor knocked it away.
The final shot total was 28-5 in UCLA’s favor.
In their first California game last Thursday, Nebraska topped USC 3-2. Rudney opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, putting the ball in the top left of the net off an assist from senior midfielder Saide Waite.
USC equalized in minute 40, but freshman defender Mila Brach, a Los Angeles native, added a quick goal less than five minutes later. The goal was Brach’s first as a Husker.
Junior forward Kayma Carpenter scored the third goal of the game for the Huskers two minutes out of the halftime break on an assist from Rudney and Raabe. USC added their second of the day in the 58th minute, but couldn’t find another equalizer chasing the game.
The shot total was neck-and-neck, with USC putting up 14 shots, 9 coming on goal, while Nebraska shot 12 times, with six coming on goal. Villa notched 7 saves.
With their two results, the Huskers sit at an 8-4-5 record. With their 12 conference points at the time of publishing, Nebraska is tied with USC and Michigan for 10th place in the conference. The top ten teams in the Big Ten Conference qualify for the conference tournament, which starts on Oct. 30. The Huskers have one more chance to separate themselves from the rest of the pack when Big Ten No. 2 Michigan State travels to Lincoln next Sunday.