Game Day: UCLA women’s soccer team shows the world

Editor’s note: This is the Tuesday, December 6, edition of the “Game Day with Kevin Modesti” newsletter. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.

Good morning. The best soccer game of the month was played yesterday. In unrelated news, the World Cup continued in Qatar.

A quick pause for other headlines:

The Dodgers lost shortstop Trea Turner to the Phillies in a $300 million free-agent deal.
On the bright side, the Dodgers re-signed Clayton Kershaw for a 16th season.
The Angels signed a potential closer in Rockies reliever Carlos Estevez.
As expected, USC quarterback Caleb Williams is one of four Heisman Trophy finalists, as is Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud (Rancho Cucamonga High).
Kawhi Leonard reminded the Clippers what they’ve been missing, hitting the game-winning shot in his return.
The Rams are looking to next season for Matthew Stafford.
And the Chargers’ playoff chances aren’t looking good.

The best soccer game of the month was won yesterday by UCLA over North Carolina, 3-2, in the final of the NCAA Women’s College Cup, giving the Bruins their second national championship.

They did it in the most dramatic way possible: In extra time on a rebound goal by Maricarmen Reyes, a Fountain Valley and San Ana product who plays for Mexico’s national team. After tying it with 16 seconds left in regulation on a header by Reilyn Turner (Laguna Beach High) from a corner kick by Ally Lemos (Glendora High). After beginning a comeback from 2-0 down on a goal by Lexi Wright (Carlsbad High) with 10 minutes to go. With first-year coach Margueritte Aozasa defeating North Carolina’s 21-time championship coach Anson Dorrance. Doing it in front of a Tar Heels crowd in Cary, N.C., a short drive from Chapel Hill.

Somehow, college soccer’s timing method, using a scoreboard clock that stops for injuries and other delays and counts down to :00 rather than up to 90 minutes, made it more dramatic than the more familiar professional system under which the stories would have vaguely said the tying goal came at the death.

If the way the Bruins won was shocking, their championship itself is anything but. They had been the No. 1 team in the country since September, when they won back-to-back road games over then-No. 1 North Carolina and No. 2 Duke, Turner scoring both game-winning goals. Aozasa might be new to UCLA, taking over as coach after Amanda Cromwell left to coach the NWSL’s Orlando Pride, but had championship experience as a member of NCAA title-winning staffs at Stanford.

Columnist Mirjam Swanson, who writes about yesterday’s game in this morning’s papers after previewing it the day before, has been on the team’s story from the start.

In September, Swanson wrote about the Bruins right after that first triumphant trip to Carolina, and said of Aozasa: “Five matches in, she’s got them believing they can deliver title No. 2 (for UCLA).”

“There was something about these women that struck me,” Swanson writes today, looking back at that September visit to campus. “A look in their eyes. A confidence that matched the on-pitch talent evident in all the highlights I’d seen in the pair of tone-setting victories – the one against North Carolina echoing on Monday, because similarly, the Bruins rallied behind late goals from Wright and Turner.”

In the season’s first month, Swanson told readers: “The best women’s college team in the country right now, UCLA might be worth your attention if you’re a fan of, say, Angel City FC or LAFC. Or if you’ve got soccer-playing kids who could learn from disciplined defenders and patient strikers. If you’ve any appreciation for tactical, athletic brilliance. If you like winning.”

In the season’s final month, she could add: Or if you’re a fan of the United States men’s team and the World Cup.

The World Cup goes on, the round of 16 concluding today and the quarterfinals starting Friday. The best teams in the world can only hope to win as memorably and deservedly as the UCLA women just did.

TODAY

Lakers are in Cleveland (4:30 p.m., SPSN, TNT), shooting for their ninth win in 11 games. Here’s Lakers analysis from the Purple & Bold newsletter.
Kings are slumping as they start a six-game trip at Ottawa (4 p.m., BSW). Kings update.
Ducks are whatever is below slumping as they come home to face the Hurricanes (7 p.m., BSSC). Ducks update.
Pepperdine, off to its best start in a few years, gets a test on TV against Nevada (8 p.m., BSW).

READERS REACT

The newsletter asked: If you’re a U.S. soccer fan, are you encouraged or discouraged by the men’s team getting to the World Cup round of 16 but losing to the Netherlands? What has to happen for the team to go farther?

Twitter user @UCLA_Geek answers: “With how young they were, very encouraging. Hoping they build up to win it all on our soil in 2026.”

Antonio Cugini writes: “It was an encouraging tourney. It was a tough group and the team gained a lot of experience. They were outclassed tactically against the Netherlands. To make it to the top 8, we need to make our chances count and adapt the strategy based on what the opponent does.”

NEXT QUESTION

For the Dodgers, how big a blow is losing free-agent shortstop Trea Turner to the Phillies? Respond by email (KModesti@scng.com) or on Twitter (@KevinModesti).

280 CHARACTERS

“What a difference a couple of players can make.” – Janis Carr (@JanisCarr) as the Clippers took a 63-54 lead into halftime with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the lineup for the first time in eight games.

1,000 WORDS

The winner: UCLA midfielder Maricarmen Reyes scores from a tight angle in extra time against North Carolina, the winning goal in the NCAA women’s soccer championship game yesterday in Cary, N.C. Photo is by Eakin Howard for Getty Images.

LET’S TALK

Thanks for reading the newsletter. Send suggestions, comments and questions by email at KModesti@scng.com and via Twitter @KevinModesti.

Editor’s note: Thanks for reading the “Game Day with Kevin Modesti” newsletter. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.

Related Articles