UCLA, USC Women Fight to Edgy Draw

There were still 68 minutes left in the match but in the case of the UCLA women’s soccer team, there was no more time to be shellshocked after falling behind USC.

“We were real nervous,” UCLA midfielder Lindsay Greco said. “It was a shock. It caught us off guard.”

Stung by the first-half goal, the Bruins recovered and kept their unbeaten streak intact with a 1-1 tie through two overtime periods Sunday in the Pacific 10 Conference opener for both teams at the Coliseum.

No. 5-ranked UCLA (9-1-1) was taken to overtime for the first time this season, but it hasn’t lost since its season opener against Clemson. USC (8-1-2), ranked 21st in the National Soccer Coaches Assn. of America poll and 11th by Soccer Buzz magazine, extended its unbeaten streak to five.

USC has beaten UCLA twice in 10 meetings but both came at the Coliseum. A third win was a possibility when freshman Jessica Edwards got her own rebound off a save by Bruin goalkeeper CiCi Peterson and put it in the net in the 22nd minute.

It fired up a Trojan squad that had largely been contained in its own side of the field.

“Isabelle [Harvey] played the ball through to me and I just put it on goal,” Edwards said of her fifth goal. “Our coach tells us that no matter where the shots are going, you always anticipate them to come out at you. It definitely gave us more momentum.”

The goal put UCLA at a deficit for only the second time this season. The Bruins stayed cool and took advantage of a rare USC defensive lapse in the 69th minute.

Forward Staci Duncan got some open room to work and Greco made a run to the right side of the box. As a Trojan defender was late in marking her, Greco took the pass and put a shot over USC goalie Lauren Arase’s head into the goal.

Arase, however, was tough. She made 11 saves, including three point-blank ones in the final 16 minutes of regulation.

Neither team could score in the two 15-minute sudden death periods, though USC had the best chance in the final minute.

Megan Abbamonto put consecutive shots on goal that Krista Boling and Brittany Whalen stopped at the line as Peterson was out of position.

“The ref said it was on the line both times,” USC Coach Jim Millinder said. “Our players felt the first one was in.”