UCLA Newcomers Key 2-0 Win Over Long Beach State
Freshman goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor saved a penalty kick in the first half and contributed to a shared shutout with sophomore Mariangela Medina, who played a scoreless second half in her collegiate debut.
The match threatened to be eerily similar to last week’s 1-0 loss at BYU. For the second-straight match, a penalty was called on UCLA for a foul in the box after a video review. But Nakfoor made the save, diving to her left to stop Natelle El Mokbel’s penalty kick and keep the game scoreless in the 36th minute. Nakfoor had also come up big earlier with a fingertip save on a shot by Radisson Banks in the 21st minute.
PK SAVE BY DAPHNE NAKFOOR! @DNakfoor is coming up huge for UCLA in the first half!
??: B1G+#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/LC5yZrGhjW
— UCLA Women’s Soccer (@UCLAWSoccer) August 30, 2025
The Bruins (2-2) brought in several new starters for the second half, and the move paid off quickly, as Cooper netted the game’s first goal and her first collegiate goal in the 50th minute. Powell gathered a clearance attempt that was deflected by Hayashi, then got around a defender to send a perfect cross across the goal. Cooper headed it past Long Beach State goalkeeper Aurora Schuck for the go-ahead goal.
The freshmen connect!
Leena Powell ?? @thepaytencooper for the lead!
??: B1G+#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/o7aOQs0ZYm
— UCLA Women’s Soccer (@UCLAWSoccer) August 30, 2025
Less than a minute later, the Beach (1-4) threatened to score on a free kick, but Julie Lopez’s looping shot from just outside the top of the box was pushed over the crossbar by the 6-0 Medina for her first collegiate save.
Cooper played a role in the second goal in the 65th minute, sending a ball forward to Shank, who one-timed it over to Hayashi on her left. The 2024 Junior College National Player of the Year drilled a left-footed shot past Shuck to double up the Bruins’ lead.
Great sequence by the Bruins to double the lead! ??@thepaytencooper ?? Grace Shank ?? Oruha Hayashi
??: B1G+#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/fm010HYahz
— UCLA Women’s Soccer (@UCLAWSoccer) August 30, 2025
The Bruins allowed just one Long Beach State shot after that and six overall on their way to their second shutout of the year.
“In the second half, we made some adjustments tactically, and we made some adjustments personnel-wise, and I thought the group that started the second half, you could just see the change in their mentality,” said UCLA head coach Margueritte Aozasa. “It was very clear they were not going to lose tonight.”
UCLA will next play at Portland on Thursday, Sept. 4 before hosting No. 1 Stanford on Sunday, Sept. 7.
