Nil-nil game

Los Angeles, Calif. - In a match featuring the last two NCAA women's soccer champions, No. 1 UCLA and No. 9 North Carolina battled to a scoreless game on Friday night at UCLA's Marshall Field.

UCLA (2-0-1) goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland set a school record with her 39th career shutout after facing just four shots from the Tar Heels (1-1-1) in the game. She has yet to give up a goal in 290 minutes of play this season.

"The game was a high-level game: fast-paced, a lot of energy, great athletes out there," UCLA head coach Amanda Cromwell said. "I think we were unlucky not to score one. You've got to give a lot of credit to UNC. They defended really well. They shut down channels and some gaps that we thought were open and made it really hard for us. We could have been better on our set plays, but overall the effort was there. You have to applaud both teams for the effort and just how much they really went after it."

UCLA's defense shut down North Carolina for the first half of the match, allowing no shots or corner kicks. The Bruins' offense, on the other hand, managed six shots, but five were saved by Tar Heel goalkeeper Bryane Heaberlin, including a hard shot by Sam Mewis in the 10th minute.

The Tar Heels replaced Heaberlin with Lindsey Harris at the start of the second half, resulting in 65 scoreless minutes, with one save in the 64th minute. UCLA had other scoring chances in the half but failed to produce a goal.

The Bruins nearly ended the tie in overtime with a near goal by Megan Oyster in the 95th minute. Another shot by Annie Alvarado just missed in the waning seconds of the game.

"Both teams are going to get so much better because of this game," Cromwell said. "In the end it helps us grow and helps us down the road."

The Bruins play host to San Diego on Sunday at 5p.m.