The No. 1-seeded UCLA women’s soccer team earned the second NCAA national championship in program history, and No. 120 in UCLA history, after defeating No. 2-seeded North Carolina by a score of 3-2 in a thrilling double overtime match today at WakeMed Soccer Park.
The Bruins (22-2-1) trailed 2-0 through 80 minutes of regulation, but scored twice in the final 10 minutes to force overtime. Graduate midfielder Maricarmen Reyes then scored the game-winning goal in the 107th minute off a rebound of an Ally Cook shot.
UCLA is the first team in College Cup history to come back from two goals down to a win in title game. UCLA’s Margueritte Aozasa also became the first coach in NCAA women’s soccer history to win a national championship in their first year as a head coach.
“That was incredible, I can’t say enough about the belief this team has and the care they have for each other,” said Aozasa. “The rollercoaster of emotion I think we all felt, I cried many times during that game — happy and sad. We’ve said from the beginning of these playoffs that our care and love for each other and love for this program was going to be what was going to carry us through, and you saw that tonight. To be down 2-0 with 10 minutes left, to be down a goal with less than a minute left, and to come back and then not even go to PKs but win in overtime, is something incredibly special and it speaks to the character of the entire team.”
Read the full story on the UCLA Athletics website.