No. 3 UCLA defeats No. 2 Duke by 2-1 margin in marquee early season battle

Durham, N.C. – In the first of a pair of games this week against the Top 2 teams in the nation, No. 3 UCLA served notice with a 2-1 win over No. 2 Duke at Koskinen Stadium.

Forward Reilyn Turner had a hand in both goals, and goalkeeper Lauren Brzykcy made seven saves in the second half alone and tied her career high in saves with nine.

UCLA (4-0) struck first in the 12th minute after Lexi Wright sent a ball into the box for Turner, who was fouled by a Duke defender to earn the penalty kick. Sophomore defender Jayden Perry stepped up for the penalty and buried it past Duke goalkeeper Ruthie Jones for her first career goal.

The Bruins’ lead, along with their 308 minute shutout streak, vanished in the 39th minute when Duke’s leading scorer Michelle Cooper netted the equalizer at 38:22. Delaney Graham set up the goal by staying onside and sending a cross from the right side that found Cooper, who one-timed it from 12 yards out to the bottom right corner.

Duke’s momentum continued in the second half, as the Blue Devils outshot the Bruins, 8-2. But Brzykcy was up for the task, making seven saves, many in spectacular fashion. She had a leaping save in the 54th minute on a shot from Mackenzie Pluck and then made a pair of saves in the 57th minute on a Cooper long-distance shot and a rebound shot from Maggie Graham.

Five minutes later, the Bruins made the most of their first shot of the second half, as Quincy McMahon took the ball from the left corner and passed to Lexi Wright, who found Turner once again. Turner took two touches and then fired a rocket past Jones for the go-ahead goal, her first of the season.

A look at the game-winner from @reilynturner to beat No. 2 Duke!#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/XhmPktFMHO

— UCLA Women's Soccer (@UCLAWSoccer) September 2, 2022

Brzykcy and the Bruin defense took it from there, keeping the Blue Devils (4-1) off the board. Brzykcy made a point-blank save at the six in the 70th minute, then tipped out an upper 90 shot by Cooper in the 73rd minute. By the 80th minute, Brzykcy had tied her career high with her ninth save of the game, stopping Nicole Chico’s shot from just outside the box. Duke had possession in their half in the final 90 seconds, but UCLA’s defense held firm, preventing the Blue Devils from taking a shot.

UCLA will next face No. 1 North Carolina on Sunday at 12pm ET/9am PT. The match will be televised live on ACC Network and the ESPN app.

(Photo Credit: Duke Athletics)