No. 2 UCLA 1, Utah 1, 2 OT
SALT LAKE CITY -- Second-ranked UCLA remained unbeaten in Pac-12 play after tying Utah 1-1 on Friday. The Bruins (13-1-2 overall, 5-0-2 in the Pac-12) spotted Utah (7-3-6, 3-2-2) a brief lead in the first half but tied it up five minutes later on a Taylor Smith goal.
UCLA dominated on the offensive end, out shooting the Utes 23-5 but Utah goalkeeper Lindsey Luke made eight saves in the contest.
Bruin goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland, who leads the nation in goals-against average, had just one save, but it was big one in the first two minutes of play, stopping a shot by Katie Taylor after a turnover in the backfield.
Utah grabbed a 1-0 lead at 17:04 when Ashton Hall split two defenders and cracked a shot top shelf over Rowland. The Utes' lead was short lived, however. Smith tied it up at 22:11, taking a through ball by Sarah Killion and beating Luke. Ally Courtnall nearly gave UCLA the lead four minutes later, but Luke got a hand on the ball, and it pinged off the right post. Luke grabbed the ricochet just before it crossed the goal line.
The Bruins had another good chance to grab the go-ahead goal late in the second half, earning a free kick inches outside the penalty box after Taylor Smith was fouled, but Abby Dahlkemper's shot was blocked by a Utah defender.
Utah nearly got one in during the second overtime, but Sam Mewis and Dahlkemper made big defensive stops as the Bruins withstood Utah's late attack. UCLA also had two chances in the final minute, but Luke saved Mewis' shot with 1:00 on the clock, and with 30 seconds left, Jenna Richmond's shot in front of the goal was blocked. Smith got the rebound, but her shot was also blocked.
No. 7 Florida 3, Tennessee 0
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Florida claimed a 3-0 win against Tennessee on Friday evening in front of a crowd of 1,669 at the Regal Soccer Stadium. It was Florida’s first win in Knoxville since 1999.
After a scoreless opening half, junior Havana Solaun scored two unassisted goals to put the Gators up 2-0. Florida was awarded a penalty kick just 39 seconds into second half play when freshman Meggie Dougherty Howard was knocked down in the box. Solaun placed the kick in for the Gators’ first score off a penalty kick of the season. Solaun scored her second goal of the evening when the corner kick she took from the left side in the 66th minute went untouched into the goal. It was her second double-goal match of the season.
Florida scored its final goal of the match when senior Taylor Travis sent a diagonal ball from the end line to Savannah Jordan. Jordan scored from eight yards for her 16th goal of the season.
No. 8 Stanford 2, Oregon 1
EUGENE, Ore. -- Courtney Verloo scored twice, including the winner in the 82nd minute, to lift No. 8 Stanford to a 2-1 victory against Oregon in Pac-12 play on Friday.
Stanford (11-3-1 overall, 4-3 Pac-12) first scored on Verloo’s penalty kick in the 36th minute only for Oregon (3-9-3, 1-5-1) to tie the score on a header by Kristen Parr in the in 71st minute. Verloo, a native of Tualatin, Ore., now has nine goals this season, one short of her career high from last season.
“Courtney is having an incredible year,” Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe said. “Tonight was a homecoming for her, so it was very special.”
The goal sequence began when freshman central defender Maddie Bauer gained possession in the defensive half and made a deep run into the Oregon defense before passing wide to Natalie Griffen. She sent a cross from the right that was headed by Chioma Ugogagu to Verloo, who trapped it with her chest and shot from seven yards as her shorts were being pulled by a defender.
Verloo’s first goal was set up when Alex Doll drew a foul in the penalty area. She slipped on her follow through, but her hard shot found the net inside the left post. It was Verloo’s sixth set-piece goal of the season. Early in the match, she had a shot that missed wide by inches.
Stanford earned its 24th consecutive conference road victory and increased its lead in the series to 16-0-1.
No. 9 West Virginia 2, Oklahoma 1, 2OT
NORMAN, Okla. -- Ninth-ranked West Virginia beat Oklahoma 2-1 in double overtime on Friday night at the OU Soccer Complex. Kate Schwindel scored the game-winning goal in the 102nd minute. With the victory, WVU clinched its second consecutive Big 12 regular-season title.
The Mountaineers held a 7-1 shot advantage heading into halftime. Oklahoma goalkeeper Kassadie Stade made five saves to keep WVU off the board and OU in the match. Stade finished the match with seven total saves, tying her career high.
OU quickly showed life on offense in the second half as the Sooners began to challenge Mountaineer goalkeeper Sara Keane. Oklahoma struck in the 63rd minute when Shiloh Price drove toward the WVU goal on a pass from Madison Saliba. After Price's initial shot was saved but not controlled by Keane, Sooner forward Daisy Cardona swooped in to send the ball into the net and post her team-high fifth goal of the season.
The tempo of the match increased as OU tried to maintain their 1-0 advantage. West Virginia responded 16 minutes later when Frances Silva drove in a goal on an assist from Amanda Hall past Stade's right side to snap up the equalizer. Both teams continued to battle in an attempt to avoid an overtime situation, but the deadlock held steady.
Both teams traded fouls as they struggled to gain the upper hand in the first overtime, but neither squad could turn an offensive opportunity into a goal. The match proceeded to a second overtime where the battle continued until the 102nd minute of action. WVU's Kate Schwindel drove past Oklahoma's defenders on an assist from Silva to net a goal and end the match.
No. 10 Michigan 2, Illinois 0
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Freshman Madisson Lewis and fifth-year senior Holly Hein scored first-half goals, and freshman Taylor Bucklin made seven saves for her seventh shutout of the season as No. 10 Michigan downed Illinois 2-0 on a chilly and windy Friday night at the Illinois Soccer & Track Stadium. It is also the Wolverines' fifth consecutive road victory -- all against Big Ten teams -- which is a new program record.
With the win, Michigan kept pace with Nebraska in the Big Ten race. The Cornhuskers defeated Ohio State 1-0 earlier in the day to remain in first with 24 points (8-1-0). Michigan held serve with the victory against Illinois to stay in second with 22 points (7-1-1).
Illinois fired four shots in the first 10 minutes of play, including two on frame by the nation's leading goal-scorer, Janelle Flaws. Michigan nearly got on the board in the 22nd minute, when junior Chloe Sosenko placed a free kick into the box from 25 yards out that skidded just wide of the net.
Two minutes later, Michigan broke the tie on Lewis' fifth goal of the season. Running up the sideline, Lewis received a through ball from senior Nkem Ezurike and used her speed to slip be a defender. Lewis then went one on one with Illinois goalkeeper Claire Wheatley and grounded a shot inside the left post to put Michigan up 1-0.
Twelve minutes later, the Wolverines struck again on a goal from Hein. A foul was called against Illinois, and senior Shelina Zadorsky served the free kick into the box and found Hein, who rose above everyone to head the ball into the far post from the center of the penalty area to increase the lead to 2-0 heading into halftime.
