Thursday, October 16
Los Angeles, Calif.
6:00 PM PT
UCLA
vs
Iowa
Lexi Wright
Photo by: Mac Brown
Women's Soccer Hosts No. 5 Iowa Thursday Night
October 14, 2025 | Women's Soccer
UCLA (8-4-2, 4-2-2) vs. No. 5 Iowa (10-2-3, 5-1-2)
Date/Time: Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025 โ 6:00 p.m. PT
Location: Wallis Annenberg Stadium
Ticket Price: $17 adults/$9 youth; UCLA students free with BruinCard
Advance Tickets: uclabruins.com/tickets
Theme: Breast Cancer Awareness
Giveaway: Pink arm sleeves and bracelets to first 400 fans
Broadcast: Big Ten Plus
Talent: Nick Koop, Graham Metzker
Live Stats: ucla.statbroadcast.com
UCLA (8-4-2, 4-2-2) vs. Nebraska (7-3-5, 2-3-3)
Date/Time: Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025 โ 1:00 p.m. PT
Location: Wallis Annenberg Stadium
Ticket Price: $17 adults/$9 youth; UCLA students free with BruinCard
Advance Tickets: uclabruins.com/tickets
Theme: Senior Day
Giveaway: Senior class favorite snacks; Senior posters
Broadcast: Big Ten Plus
Talent:ย Nick Koop, Sophie Wimmer
Live Stats: ucla.statbroadcast.com
BRUINS BEGIN THREE-GAME HOMESTAND TO CLOSE REGULAR SEASON
UCLA (8-4-2 overall, 4-2-2 in the Big Ten) will close the regular season with a three-game homestand, beginning Thursday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. PT against No. 5 Iowa (10-2-3, 5-1-2). The UCLA-Iowa matchup will be the Bruins' annual Breast Cancer Awareness Match. On Sunday, Oct. 19, UCLA will host Nebraska (7-3-5, 2-3-3) at 1 p.m. PT on Senior Day. ย
SENIOR SALUTE
UCLA will honor its senior class in pre-game festivities on Sunday. Participating in Senior Day will be redshirt seniors Emma Egizii and Lexi Wright, seniors Lily Boyden, America Frias, Jennie Immethun and Bridgette Marin-Valencia, and junior Val Vargas. This class won a NCAA Championship in 2022 and conference championships in 2021, 2023 and 2024.ย
SCOUTING THE HAWKEYES
Iowa is coming off a 5-3 victory over No. 18 Michigan State on Sunday and stands alone in second place in the conference standings with 17 points, three behind league-leader Washington. The Hawkeyes are led offensively by Kelli McGroarty, who has six goals off the bench. Liana Tarasco has scored four goals to rank second in scoring. ย Taylor Kane and Fernanda Mayrink have split time in goal. Kane holds a 7-0 record and has five shutouts and a 0.43 goals against average, and Mayrink has started eight games and has three shutouts and a 1.25 goals against average. ย ย
THE SERIES WITH IOWA
UCLA is 2-0 all-time against Iowa, winning 1-0 in the 2022 season opener in Los Angeles and 2-1 in the 2020 NCAA second round in Buies Creek, N.C. in 2024. Lexi Wright is the only Bruin player on the roster who played in the 2022 game, and she totaled four shots, and one shot on goal. This is the first-ever conference matchup between the two teams.
SCOUTING THE HUSKERS
Nebraska earned the full six points this past weekend, beating Purdue, 1-0, and Maryland, 2-0. Reagan Raabe leads the Huskers in scoring with 13 points off four goals and five assists. Kayma Carpenter and Ella Rudney have each scored five goals. Goalkeeper Cece Villa holds a 0.83 goals against average and has six shutouts. ย ย
THE SERIES WITH NEBRASKA
UCLA is 3-0 all-time against Nebraska. The two teams have not met since the 2016 NCAA second round, which the Bruins won in West Virginia, 2-0. UCLA also secured home wins over the Huskers in 1998 (5-1) and 1995 (1-0 in overtime).
LAST TIME OUT
Strong play at the goalkeeper position on both sides led to a 0-0 tie for UCLA at Minnesota on Sunday afternoon. Bruin sophomore Mariangela Medina made seven saves on nine Gopher shots in her first collegiate start, and Minnesota redshirt sophomore Sarah Martin made a career-high 12 saves on 20 UCLA shots. UCLA's 12 shots on goal were a season high. The shutout was UCLA's ninth of the season and Medina's first solo shutout of her career. She has not allowed a goal in 225 minutes played this season. ย
IN THE RANKINGS
UCLA dropped out of the United Soccer Coaches rankings after being No. 9 last week. The Bruins remain in the Top 15 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll, ranking No. 14. Iowa moved up two spots to No. 5 in the coaches poll and will become the seventh Bruin opponent this year to rank in the Top 25 of the current coaches poll. Also ranked are No. 2 Stanford, No. 4 Tennessee, No. 15 Wisconsin, No. 16 Michigan State, No. 17 Washington and No. 19 Georgia. UCLA is 2-3-1 against those teams. ย ย
IMMETHUN NAMED TO MIDSEASON MAC HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LISTย
Senior defender Jennie Immethun has been selected to the 35-member MAC Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List. Immethun transferred to UCLA this season from TCU and has made an immediate impact with the Bruins. She has played in every minute of every game this year while leading a Bruin defense that has allowed just five goals all season. UCLA holds a 0.36 goals against average, which ranks tied for first in the nation. She was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after helping the Bruins record a shutout in the season opener at Georgia, making a goal line save with 30 seconds left to play to preserve the 1-0 victory. Immethun made another goal line save a few weeks later, knocking away a header that appeared headed for goal in a 2-0 win at Portland.ย
FOUR BRUINS SELECTED TO MIDSEASON TOP 100 LISTSย
Senior Jennie Immethun and freshmen Daphne Nakfoor, Leena Powell and Grace Shank have been selected to Top Drawer Soccer's Midseason Top 100 lists. Immethun ranks 18th on the Top 100 Player list, while Nakfoor ranks 12th, Powell 60th and Shank 82nd on the Top 100 freshman list. Immethun has started every game for the Bruins. Nakfoor has started 13 of 14 games. Powell and Shank have played in every game, with Powell making 12 starts and Shank 9. ย
TOP-RANKED DEFENSE
In 14 games, UCLA's defense has recorded nine shutouts and allowed just five goals, for a team goals against average of 0.36, which is tied for first in the nation with Ohio State and Tennessee. UCLA also ranks fifth nationally in save percentage (.884) and ninth in shutout percentage (.643). The Bruins have allowed just four goals in the run of play this season, as one of the five goals allowed was scored on a penalty kick. No opponent has scored more than one goal in a game this season, and the Bruins' four losses have been by 1-0 scores. UCLA has held opponents to single-digit shots in nine games, including a single-shot game against Tennessee, a two-shot game against Maryland, and three-shot games at Portland, against Oregon, at Michigan, against Rutgers and at Wisconsin. Freshman goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor has allowed just five goals and holds a 0.43 goals against average with five solo and three shared shutouts. Mariangela Medina has one solo and three shared shutouts and has not allowed a goal in 225 minutes played. ย ย ย
BALANCED SCORING ย
Eight different players have scored for the Bruins this season. Bella Winn leads the team with four goals, and Emma Egizii and Val Vargas have scored two each. Five others have one goal each - Oruha Hayashi, Kara Croone, Lexi Wright, Lily Boyden and Payten Cooper. Two more players are on the stat sheet with one assist each - Leena Powell and Grace Shank. ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
GAME WINN-ER ย
Sophomore Bella Winn has a knack for scoring the game-winning goal. Of her four goals this year, three have been game-winners - at Georgia Aug. 14, vs. Stanford Sept. 7 and vs. Maryland Sept. 28. Her latest heroics came in the 71st minute of a scoreless game against Maryland on her birthday. Winn ranks third in the Big Ten in game-winning goals. She also leads the team in goal scored with four and points with eight. ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
FOURS UP FOR NAKFOOR
UCLA freshman goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor has started 13 of UCLA's 14 games in goal this season and became the first true freshman to start in goal on opening day for UCLA since Teagan Micah in 2016. Nakfoor ranks fourth nationally and second in the Big Ten with a goals against average of 0.43, allowing just five goals this season. She has five solo and three shared shutouts. On Sept. 9, Nakfoor earned Top Drawer Soccer National Player of the Week and Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honors after recording a pair of shutouts at Portland and against then-top-ranked Stanford. She recorded nine saves on 21 shots against the Cardinal, the most saves by a Bruin goalkeeper since Lauren Brzykcy also had nine against Duke in 2022, and totaled five at Michigan State. Nakfoor became the first goalkeeper this season to record a shutout against Stanford, which had entered the game as the nation's top scoring offense. ย
COMEBACK KIDS
Redshirt seniors Emma Egizii and Lexi Wright and sophomore forward Bella Winn have all returned to action after missing most, if not all, of the 2024 season with injuries, and all three have been major players in UCLA's offense. Winn leads the team with four goals, eight points and three game-winning goals. Emma Egizii ranks second in scoring with six points off two goals and two assists. Wright has one goal and one assist.ย
Egizii, who scored two goals in three games in 2024 before getting injured during game four of the season, posted her first goal of the year against Portland on Sept. 4, assisted on the game-winner against Stanford on Sept. 7, scored the game-winner against Oregon on Sept. 13 and assisted on the game-winner against Rutgers on Sept. 25. Winn knocked in the game-winning goal against then-No. 1 Stanford, scored a goal against Oregon and scored the game-winner against Maryland. In 2024, Winn recorded a goal and an assist in the Bruins' first two games of the year but was injured while scoring her goal in game two and did not return the rest of the season. In just 16 career games, she has five goals and 10 points. Wright sustained a season-ending injury early in preseason in 2024 but has played 11 games this season. Her first goal since 2023 came against No. 1 Stanford, her second career goal in two games against top-ranked teams. She added an assist on the game-winner at Michigan. ย ย ย
VAMOS VARGAS ย
Junior Val Vargas has scored the game-winning goal in two of the Bruins' last three victories, accounting for the Bruins' lone goals in their 1-0 wins over Rutgers Sept. 25 and at Michigan Sept. 21. Vargas' last three goals scored for UCLA have been game-winners, two of them coming against Rutgers, in the 2024 Big Ten Championship game and at home on Sept. 25. She now ranks second on the team in goals scored with two and is third in scoring with five points after adding an assist on the game-winning goal against Maryland. ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
BREWER SELECTED TO U-17 WORLD CUP SQUAD ย
Freshman defender Meila Brewer has been selected for the U.S. roster for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. The 24-team tournament takes place in Morocco from Oct. 17-Nov. 8, with a training camp taking place in Spain prior to arrival. The USA will open the tournament against Ecuador on Saturday, Oct. 18 then will play China PR on Tuesday, Oct. 21 and Norway on Friday, Oct. 24. Brewer, who has five caps with the U.S. team, has started six games for the Bruins in 2025, and UCLA recorded four shutouts in those six games. Brewer missed three games earlier in the season (BYU, Long Beach State and Portland) while at national team camp in Spain and has been out since the Washington game on Oct. 4. ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
IMPACT TRANSFERSย
UCLA welcomed two experienced transfers to the squad in 2025 - defender Jennie Immethun and forward Oruha Hayashi. Immethun comes to UCLA from TCU, where she earned second-team All-Big 12 honors in 2024. She started 20 games in 2024 while helping the Big 12 champions record seven shutouts, and in 2023, she started in 10 games. Hayashi joined the Bruins after two years at Iowa Western, where she twice won the United Soccer Coaches Player of the Year for Junior College Division 1. Hayashi, who scored 25 goals in 2024 and 19 in 2023, was selected the 2024-25 Betty Jo Graber NJCAA Female Student-Athlete of the Year. Both have already made big impacts on their new team, as Immethun was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after helping the Bruins record a shutout in the season opener. She has played in every minute of every game for UCLA this year and has two goal line saves while leading a Bruin defense that has allowed just five goals all year and holds a 0.36 goals against average, which ranks tied for first in the nation. Hayashi has played in every game and has 11 starts. She scored a goal in the Bruins' exhibition win over LMU and netted her first official goal as a Bruin in the 2-0 win over Long Beach State and her first assist on UCLA's final goal in the 2-0 win over Stanford. She added another assist on the game-tying goal at Michigan State. ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
FRESH CLASSย
The Bruins brought in a dynamic recruiting class, highlighted by U.S. Youth National Team players Sofia Atehortua, Meila Brewer, Cassidy Doogan, Daphne Nakfoor, Leena Powell and Grace Shank, and Egyptian Youth National Team player Laila Edris. Powell played in the 2025 U-20 Concacaf Championships, and Brewer helped lead the U-17s to the 4 Nations Tournament title this summer. Also joining UCLA in 2025 were freshmen Payten Cooper, Jordyn Dunn, Siena Meyer and Julia Molnar. All 11 freshmen saw action in the Bruins' exhibition against LMU, and all but Dunn has seen action during the regular season. Nakfoor has started in 13 games, and Powell has 11 starts. Cooper, the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 2, is tied for sixth on the team in scoring with three points. Powell and Shank each have an assist, and Nakfoor holds a 0.43 goals against average with five solo and three shared shutouts. ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
GOOD WORK, LEXIย
Redshirt senior Lexi Wright was selected as a member of the inaugural Allstate NACDA Good Works Team (Fall). The award recognizes male and female student-athletes across all divisions and sports who go above and beyond in their commitment to community service, academic achievement and athletic performance. Wright supports children with cancer through Zoe's Goal-Scoring Against Childhood Cancer, a non-profit organization that raises awareness about pediatric cancer, advocates for research and funding and supports young cancer patients. Wright does regular hospital visits to UCLA's Mattel Children's Hospital to visit with patients and has worked with the UCLA campus organization Unified, which plays sports with special needs kids weekly and holds an Inclusive Sports Day. She also volunteers with Football For Her, a non-profit organization that provides a safe space and motivates those who identify as female or non-binary to play, regardless of their economic standing.ย
BRUIN DEBUTS
Eight players made their Bruin debuts in the season opener, including six freshmen. Making starts were senior transfer Jennie Immethun and freshmen Daphne Nakfoor, Grace Shank, Leena Powell and Meila Brewer. Coming in off the bench were junior transfer Oruha Hayashi and freshmen Leila Edris and Payten Cooper. Sofia Atehortua earned her first career minutes against Tennessee, Julia Molnar made her collegiate debut at BYU, Cassidy Doogan played her first game against Long Beach State, and Siena Meyer debuted at Portland. ย ย
ย
Date/Time: Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025 โ 6:00 p.m. PT
Location: Wallis Annenberg Stadium
Ticket Price: $17 adults/$9 youth; UCLA students free with BruinCard
Advance Tickets: uclabruins.com/tickets
Theme: Breast Cancer Awareness
Giveaway: Pink arm sleeves and bracelets to first 400 fans
Broadcast: Big Ten Plus
Talent: Nick Koop, Graham Metzker
Live Stats: ucla.statbroadcast.com
UCLA (8-4-2, 4-2-2) vs. Nebraska (7-3-5, 2-3-3)
Date/Time: Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025 โ 1:00 p.m. PT
Location: Wallis Annenberg Stadium
Ticket Price: $17 adults/$9 youth; UCLA students free with BruinCard
Advance Tickets: uclabruins.com/tickets
Theme: Senior Day
Giveaway: Senior class favorite snacks; Senior posters
Broadcast: Big Ten Plus
Talent:ย Nick Koop, Sophie Wimmer
Live Stats: ucla.statbroadcast.com
BRUINS BEGIN THREE-GAME HOMESTAND TO CLOSE REGULAR SEASON
UCLA (8-4-2 overall, 4-2-2 in the Big Ten) will close the regular season with a three-game homestand, beginning Thursday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. PT against No. 5 Iowa (10-2-3, 5-1-2). The UCLA-Iowa matchup will be the Bruins' annual Breast Cancer Awareness Match. On Sunday, Oct. 19, UCLA will host Nebraska (7-3-5, 2-3-3) at 1 p.m. PT on Senior Day. ย
SENIOR SALUTE
UCLA will honor its senior class in pre-game festivities on Sunday. Participating in Senior Day will be redshirt seniors Emma Egizii and Lexi Wright, seniors Lily Boyden, America Frias, Jennie Immethun and Bridgette Marin-Valencia, and junior Val Vargas. This class won a NCAA Championship in 2022 and conference championships in 2021, 2023 and 2024.ย
SCOUTING THE HAWKEYES
Iowa is coming off a 5-3 victory over No. 18 Michigan State on Sunday and stands alone in second place in the conference standings with 17 points, three behind league-leader Washington. The Hawkeyes are led offensively by Kelli McGroarty, who has six goals off the bench. Liana Tarasco has scored four goals to rank second in scoring. ย Taylor Kane and Fernanda Mayrink have split time in goal. Kane holds a 7-0 record and has five shutouts and a 0.43 goals against average, and Mayrink has started eight games and has three shutouts and a 1.25 goals against average. ย ย
THE SERIES WITH IOWA
UCLA is 2-0 all-time against Iowa, winning 1-0 in the 2022 season opener in Los Angeles and 2-1 in the 2020 NCAA second round in Buies Creek, N.C. in 2024. Lexi Wright is the only Bruin player on the roster who played in the 2022 game, and she totaled four shots, and one shot on goal. This is the first-ever conference matchup between the two teams.
SCOUTING THE HUSKERS
Nebraska earned the full six points this past weekend, beating Purdue, 1-0, and Maryland, 2-0. Reagan Raabe leads the Huskers in scoring with 13 points off four goals and five assists. Kayma Carpenter and Ella Rudney have each scored five goals. Goalkeeper Cece Villa holds a 0.83 goals against average and has six shutouts. ย ย
THE SERIES WITH NEBRASKA
UCLA is 3-0 all-time against Nebraska. The two teams have not met since the 2016 NCAA second round, which the Bruins won in West Virginia, 2-0. UCLA also secured home wins over the Huskers in 1998 (5-1) and 1995 (1-0 in overtime).
LAST TIME OUT
Strong play at the goalkeeper position on both sides led to a 0-0 tie for UCLA at Minnesota on Sunday afternoon. Bruin sophomore Mariangela Medina made seven saves on nine Gopher shots in her first collegiate start, and Minnesota redshirt sophomore Sarah Martin made a career-high 12 saves on 20 UCLA shots. UCLA's 12 shots on goal were a season high. The shutout was UCLA's ninth of the season and Medina's first solo shutout of her career. She has not allowed a goal in 225 minutes played this season. ย
IN THE RANKINGS
UCLA dropped out of the United Soccer Coaches rankings after being No. 9 last week. The Bruins remain in the Top 15 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll, ranking No. 14. Iowa moved up two spots to No. 5 in the coaches poll and will become the seventh Bruin opponent this year to rank in the Top 25 of the current coaches poll. Also ranked are No. 2 Stanford, No. 4 Tennessee, No. 15 Wisconsin, No. 16 Michigan State, No. 17 Washington and No. 19 Georgia. UCLA is 2-3-1 against those teams. ย ย
IMMETHUN NAMED TO MIDSEASON MAC HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LISTย
Senior defender Jennie Immethun has been selected to the 35-member MAC Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List. Immethun transferred to UCLA this season from TCU and has made an immediate impact with the Bruins. She has played in every minute of every game this year while leading a Bruin defense that has allowed just five goals all season. UCLA holds a 0.36 goals against average, which ranks tied for first in the nation. She was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after helping the Bruins record a shutout in the season opener at Georgia, making a goal line save with 30 seconds left to play to preserve the 1-0 victory. Immethun made another goal line save a few weeks later, knocking away a header that appeared headed for goal in a 2-0 win at Portland.ย
FOUR BRUINS SELECTED TO MIDSEASON TOP 100 LISTSย
Senior Jennie Immethun and freshmen Daphne Nakfoor, Leena Powell and Grace Shank have been selected to Top Drawer Soccer's Midseason Top 100 lists. Immethun ranks 18th on the Top 100 Player list, while Nakfoor ranks 12th, Powell 60th and Shank 82nd on the Top 100 freshman list. Immethun has started every game for the Bruins. Nakfoor has started 13 of 14 games. Powell and Shank have played in every game, with Powell making 12 starts and Shank 9. ย
TOP-RANKED DEFENSE
In 14 games, UCLA's defense has recorded nine shutouts and allowed just five goals, for a team goals against average of 0.36, which is tied for first in the nation with Ohio State and Tennessee. UCLA also ranks fifth nationally in save percentage (.884) and ninth in shutout percentage (.643). The Bruins have allowed just four goals in the run of play this season, as one of the five goals allowed was scored on a penalty kick. No opponent has scored more than one goal in a game this season, and the Bruins' four losses have been by 1-0 scores. UCLA has held opponents to single-digit shots in nine games, including a single-shot game against Tennessee, a two-shot game against Maryland, and three-shot games at Portland, against Oregon, at Michigan, against Rutgers and at Wisconsin. Freshman goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor has allowed just five goals and holds a 0.43 goals against average with five solo and three shared shutouts. Mariangela Medina has one solo and three shared shutouts and has not allowed a goal in 225 minutes played. ย ย ย
BALANCED SCORING ย
Eight different players have scored for the Bruins this season. Bella Winn leads the team with four goals, and Emma Egizii and Val Vargas have scored two each. Five others have one goal each - Oruha Hayashi, Kara Croone, Lexi Wright, Lily Boyden and Payten Cooper. Two more players are on the stat sheet with one assist each - Leena Powell and Grace Shank. ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
GAME WINN-ER ย
Sophomore Bella Winn has a knack for scoring the game-winning goal. Of her four goals this year, three have been game-winners - at Georgia Aug. 14, vs. Stanford Sept. 7 and vs. Maryland Sept. 28. Her latest heroics came in the 71st minute of a scoreless game against Maryland on her birthday. Winn ranks third in the Big Ten in game-winning goals. She also leads the team in goal scored with four and points with eight. ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
FOURS UP FOR NAKFOOR
UCLA freshman goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor has started 13 of UCLA's 14 games in goal this season and became the first true freshman to start in goal on opening day for UCLA since Teagan Micah in 2016. Nakfoor ranks fourth nationally and second in the Big Ten with a goals against average of 0.43, allowing just five goals this season. She has five solo and three shared shutouts. On Sept. 9, Nakfoor earned Top Drawer Soccer National Player of the Week and Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honors after recording a pair of shutouts at Portland and against then-top-ranked Stanford. She recorded nine saves on 21 shots against the Cardinal, the most saves by a Bruin goalkeeper since Lauren Brzykcy also had nine against Duke in 2022, and totaled five at Michigan State. Nakfoor became the first goalkeeper this season to record a shutout against Stanford, which had entered the game as the nation's top scoring offense. ย
COMEBACK KIDS
Redshirt seniors Emma Egizii and Lexi Wright and sophomore forward Bella Winn have all returned to action after missing most, if not all, of the 2024 season with injuries, and all three have been major players in UCLA's offense. Winn leads the team with four goals, eight points and three game-winning goals. Emma Egizii ranks second in scoring with six points off two goals and two assists. Wright has one goal and one assist.ย
Egizii, who scored two goals in three games in 2024 before getting injured during game four of the season, posted her first goal of the year against Portland on Sept. 4, assisted on the game-winner against Stanford on Sept. 7, scored the game-winner against Oregon on Sept. 13 and assisted on the game-winner against Rutgers on Sept. 25. Winn knocked in the game-winning goal against then-No. 1 Stanford, scored a goal against Oregon and scored the game-winner against Maryland. In 2024, Winn recorded a goal and an assist in the Bruins' first two games of the year but was injured while scoring her goal in game two and did not return the rest of the season. In just 16 career games, she has five goals and 10 points. Wright sustained a season-ending injury early in preseason in 2024 but has played 11 games this season. Her first goal since 2023 came against No. 1 Stanford, her second career goal in two games against top-ranked teams. She added an assist on the game-winner at Michigan. ย ย ย
VAMOS VARGAS ย
Junior Val Vargas has scored the game-winning goal in two of the Bruins' last three victories, accounting for the Bruins' lone goals in their 1-0 wins over Rutgers Sept. 25 and at Michigan Sept. 21. Vargas' last three goals scored for UCLA have been game-winners, two of them coming against Rutgers, in the 2024 Big Ten Championship game and at home on Sept. 25. She now ranks second on the team in goals scored with two and is third in scoring with five points after adding an assist on the game-winning goal against Maryland. ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
BREWER SELECTED TO U-17 WORLD CUP SQUAD ย
Freshman defender Meila Brewer has been selected for the U.S. roster for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. The 24-team tournament takes place in Morocco from Oct. 17-Nov. 8, with a training camp taking place in Spain prior to arrival. The USA will open the tournament against Ecuador on Saturday, Oct. 18 then will play China PR on Tuesday, Oct. 21 and Norway on Friday, Oct. 24. Brewer, who has five caps with the U.S. team, has started six games for the Bruins in 2025, and UCLA recorded four shutouts in those six games. Brewer missed three games earlier in the season (BYU, Long Beach State and Portland) while at national team camp in Spain and has been out since the Washington game on Oct. 4. ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
IMPACT TRANSFERSย
UCLA welcomed two experienced transfers to the squad in 2025 - defender Jennie Immethun and forward Oruha Hayashi. Immethun comes to UCLA from TCU, where she earned second-team All-Big 12 honors in 2024. She started 20 games in 2024 while helping the Big 12 champions record seven shutouts, and in 2023, she started in 10 games. Hayashi joined the Bruins after two years at Iowa Western, where she twice won the United Soccer Coaches Player of the Year for Junior College Division 1. Hayashi, who scored 25 goals in 2024 and 19 in 2023, was selected the 2024-25 Betty Jo Graber NJCAA Female Student-Athlete of the Year. Both have already made big impacts on their new team, as Immethun was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after helping the Bruins record a shutout in the season opener. She has played in every minute of every game for UCLA this year and has two goal line saves while leading a Bruin defense that has allowed just five goals all year and holds a 0.36 goals against average, which ranks tied for first in the nation. Hayashi has played in every game and has 11 starts. She scored a goal in the Bruins' exhibition win over LMU and netted her first official goal as a Bruin in the 2-0 win over Long Beach State and her first assist on UCLA's final goal in the 2-0 win over Stanford. She added another assist on the game-tying goal at Michigan State. ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
FRESH CLASSย
The Bruins brought in a dynamic recruiting class, highlighted by U.S. Youth National Team players Sofia Atehortua, Meila Brewer, Cassidy Doogan, Daphne Nakfoor, Leena Powell and Grace Shank, and Egyptian Youth National Team player Laila Edris. Powell played in the 2025 U-20 Concacaf Championships, and Brewer helped lead the U-17s to the 4 Nations Tournament title this summer. Also joining UCLA in 2025 were freshmen Payten Cooper, Jordyn Dunn, Siena Meyer and Julia Molnar. All 11 freshmen saw action in the Bruins' exhibition against LMU, and all but Dunn has seen action during the regular season. Nakfoor has started in 13 games, and Powell has 11 starts. Cooper, the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 2, is tied for sixth on the team in scoring with three points. Powell and Shank each have an assist, and Nakfoor holds a 0.43 goals against average with five solo and three shared shutouts. ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
GOOD WORK, LEXIย
Redshirt senior Lexi Wright was selected as a member of the inaugural Allstate NACDA Good Works Team (Fall). The award recognizes male and female student-athletes across all divisions and sports who go above and beyond in their commitment to community service, academic achievement and athletic performance. Wright supports children with cancer through Zoe's Goal-Scoring Against Childhood Cancer, a non-profit organization that raises awareness about pediatric cancer, advocates for research and funding and supports young cancer patients. Wright does regular hospital visits to UCLA's Mattel Children's Hospital to visit with patients and has worked with the UCLA campus organization Unified, which plays sports with special needs kids weekly and holds an Inclusive Sports Day. She also volunteers with Football For Her, a non-profit organization that provides a safe space and motivates those who identify as female or non-binary to play, regardless of their economic standing.ย
BRUIN DEBUTS
Eight players made their Bruin debuts in the season opener, including six freshmen. Making starts were senior transfer Jennie Immethun and freshmen Daphne Nakfoor, Grace Shank, Leena Powell and Meila Brewer. Coming in off the bench were junior transfer Oruha Hayashi and freshmen Leila Edris and Payten Cooper. Sofia Atehortua earned her first career minutes against Tennessee, Julia Molnar made her collegiate debut at BYU, Cassidy Doogan played her first game against Long Beach State, and Siena Meyer debuted at Portland. ย ย
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/ Women's SoccerHighlights - W. Soccer vs. Maryland (Sept. 28, 2025)
Sunday, September 28
Highlights - W. Soccer vs. Rutgers (Sept. 25, 2025)
Thursday, September 25
Highlights - W. Soccer at Michigan (Sept. 21, 2025)
Sunday, September 21
Cinematic Recap - UCLA W. Soccer vs. Stanford (Sept. 7, 2025)
Wednesday, September 10