No. 2 UCLA claims 14th and final Pac-12 title in program history

LOS ANGELES — No. 2 UCLA secured its 14th and final Pac-12 title with a 1-1 draw against No. 4 Stanford at Wallis Annenberg Stadium.

The draw kept UCLA’s unbeaten streak intact at 13 games with one game remaining in the regular season. UCLA is playing its final season in the Pac-12 before next season’s move to the Big Ten.

The Bruins (15-1-1, 9-1-0) were the first to score in their match-up against the Cardinal (14-1-3, 7-1-0). Sophomore midfielder Sofia Cook recorded her first goal of the season, receiving a pass from Reilyn Turner and slotting it past Stanford goalkeeper Ryan Campbell in the 68th minute.  Defender Ayo Oke was also credited with an assist, marking the third consecutive goal on which she scored or assisted.

Just 80 seconds after UCLA took the lead, however, Stanford midfielder Maya Doms responded with an equalizer goal off of a rebound from a free kick taken just outside of the box by Jasmine Aikey that was saved by Neeku Purcell. Doms followed through on the save and hit it into the back of the net with her right foot to tie the game up.

Both teams battled for the go-ahead goal in the final 20 minutes but were unable to break through despite some tense moments. UCLA’s defense held strong in the final three minutes, in particular, withstanding two corner kicks and a free kick to keep the Cardinal off the board.

UCLA outshot Stanford, 15-9, and had five shots on goal to the Cardinal’s three. Purcell made two saves for the Bruins, and Campbell had four for Stanford.

The Bruins will end the regular season on Friday, Nov. 3 at 7pm with a home match against crosstown rival USC.