University of Georgia Athletics
Thursday, August 17
Los Angeles, Calif.
10 p.m.
University of Georgia
0-1-0, 0-0-0
0
at
2
UCLA
1-0-0, 0-0-0
1
2
F
Georgia
0
0
0
UCLA
1
1
2
Georgia Falls at No. 1 UCLA, 2-0
August 18, 2023 | Soccer
LOS ANGELES – The University of Georgia soccer team opened its 2023 season with a 2-0 loss against top-ranked UCLA Thursday evening at Wallis Annenberg Stadium.
The defeat snapped a streak of three-consecutive season-opening victories for Georgia (0-1-0) and dropped them to 0-4 all-time against No. 1-ranked opponents.
For the night, UCLA (1-0-0) outshot Georgia by an 11-3 margin, including a 9-2 advantage in shots on goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Brown tied a career high with six saves, while senior forward Tori Penn, redshirt senior midfielder Nicole Vernis, and freshman midfielder Christian Brathwaite each tallied a shot.
After a fairly even opening 20 minutes, featuring a pair of nifty saves from Brown, UCLA struck first following a foul called on Vernis. The Bruins' Jayden Perry opened the scored with a converted penalty kick in the 23rd minute, creating an early 1-0 lead. Georgia's best scoring opportunity of the evening came later in the half as Penn found a great look, but Bruins keeper Neeku Purcell made the stop. Vernis racked up the Bulldogs' other shot on frame for the night with a strike in the closing minute of the half.
In the second half, the Bulldogs continued to hold the Bruins' attack at bay, but eventually UCLA used a second-chance opportunity deep in Georgia territory to seal the match as Ally Cook knocked the ball into the top left of the goal in the 70th minute. Both teams would combine for only three more shots over the final 20 minutes of play. On one UCLA shot in the 82nd minute, junior defender Jessie Dunn backed up Brown and avoided a third Bruin goal with a deflecting header.
Georgia remains on the West Coast for a Sunday matinee at No. 22 USC (1-0-0), marking the return of Bulldogs head coach Keidane McAlpine to the school where he won the 2016 NCAA championship. The match is set to kick off at 3 p.m. EDT and will air live on Pac-12 Network.
For complete information on Georgia soccer, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGASoccer on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
The defeat snapped a streak of three-consecutive season-opening victories for Georgia (0-1-0) and dropped them to 0-4 all-time against No. 1-ranked opponents.
For the night, UCLA (1-0-0) outshot Georgia by an 11-3 margin, including a 9-2 advantage in shots on goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Brown tied a career high with six saves, while senior forward Tori Penn, redshirt senior midfielder Nicole Vernis, and freshman midfielder Christian Brathwaite each tallied a shot.
After a fairly even opening 20 minutes, featuring a pair of nifty saves from Brown, UCLA struck first following a foul called on Vernis. The Bruins' Jayden Perry opened the scored with a converted penalty kick in the 23rd minute, creating an early 1-0 lead. Georgia's best scoring opportunity of the evening came later in the half as Penn found a great look, but Bruins keeper Neeku Purcell made the stop. Vernis racked up the Bulldogs' other shot on frame for the night with a strike in the closing minute of the half.
In the second half, the Bulldogs continued to hold the Bruins' attack at bay, but eventually UCLA used a second-chance opportunity deep in Georgia territory to seal the match as Ally Cook knocked the ball into the top left of the goal in the 70th minute. Both teams would combine for only three more shots over the final 20 minutes of play. On one UCLA shot in the 82nd minute, junior defender Jessie Dunn backed up Brown and avoided a third Bruin goal with a deflecting header.
Georgia remains on the West Coast for a Sunday matinee at No. 22 USC (1-0-0), marking the return of Bulldogs head coach Keidane McAlpine to the school where he won the 2016 NCAA championship. The match is set to kick off at 3 p.m. EDT and will air live on Pac-12 Network.
For complete information on Georgia soccer, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGASoccer on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Team Stats
UGA
UCLA
Goals
0
2
Shots
3
11
Shots on Goal
2
9
Saves
6
2
Corners
2
1
Fouls
4
11
Scoring Plays
Jayden Perry
UCLA Jayden Perry PENALTY KICK GOAL.
22:25
Ally Cook (1)
GOAL by UCLA Cook, Ally.
69:08
Game Leaders
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
/ Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Soccer
Defender
/ SoccerMidfielder
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