No. 5 Iowa soccer dropped its first match of a two-game road series on the West Coast, falling to unranked UCLA, 3-0, Thursday night. An early red card limited the Hawkeyes to 10 players for 85 minutes of the match. The loss was Iowa’s worst margin of defeat and placed the squad at 10-3–3 on the year
The Bruins got the scoring train going early, with second-year forward Kara Croone firing a goal in just the second minute.
About three minutes later, second-year midfielder Sofia Bush took down a UCLA attacker in the box and was given a red card for her actions. The Bruins missed the ensuing penalty kick, but Iowa would be down one player for the remainder of the game. Bush will also miss the game against USC on Sunday.
Down one player, Iowa soccer found itself digging out of the trenches in the first half. The stout Hawkeye offense struggled to find any traction and was held at bay during the first half.
The Hawkeyes recorded zero shots and kept first-year Bruin goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor at ease. UCLA’s offense, on the other hand, was firing on all cylinders. With the extra player, the Bruins took advantage by overwhelming the Iowa defense with a barrage of shots and offensive attacks.
Iowa graduate student Taylor Kane got the nod to defend the posts in her home state. Kane recorded a career-high of six saves in the first half following the Bruins’ early goal.
UCLA came out of the second half looking to extend its narrow 1-0 lead, but the Hawkeyes did not give up easily. The Bruins did not find the goal until the 59:46 mark, when redshirt fourth-year Emma Egizii added her first goal of the season to move the score to 2-0. Third-year Val Vargas dished the assist, her third of the season.
First-year midfielder Grace Shank scored her first goal of the season at the 73:44 mark to give the Bruins a comfortable 3-0 lead.
Iowa’s lone shot of the night came off the leg of second-year forward Berit Parten at the 78:13 mark, but Nakfoor stayed true to record a save. Parten just returned to action on the pitch after being sidelined for the majority of the season due to nagging injuries.
Kane finished the match with a career-high 13 saves on 31 UCLA shots and three goals allowed. Her 13-save total was the highest for a Hawkeye goalkeeper since 2010. Nakfoor recorded one save and no goals allowed to move the Bruins to 9-4-2 overall and 5-2-2 in conference.
With the result, the Hawkeyes and Bruins are now tied for fourth place in the Big Ten standings with 17 points apiece.
Up Next
Iowa will have a chance at redemption on Sunday, Oct. 19, in a match against 7-6-1 USC. The Trojans are 4-5 in conference play and hold a three-way tie for eighth place in the Big Ten with 12 points. Start time is set for 8 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.
The Trojans are led by third-year forward Maribel Flores, who has tallied seven goals and four assists on the season thus far. Closely trailing Flores is second forward Jaiden Anderson, who has fired six goals and four assists on the year.