Bruins take down Buckeyes, Spartans are No. 1

UCLA kicked off this week’s women’s soccer action by grabbing three huge points at home against Ohio State. Plus, the Spartans are atop the national poll and we’ll take a look at some of the top statistical performers so far this season. Let’s dive in: 

UCLA shuts out Ohio State 

After dropping a hard-fought 1-0 match to now-top ranked Michigan State (more on them next) on Sunday, No. 21 UCLA got right back on the horse against another top-five opponent in No. 5 Ohio State Thursday night. The Bruins shut down the Buckeye attack and earned a 1-0 victory.  

Leena Powell  scored the game’s lone goal  in the 25^th minute, navigating through the Ohio State defense to rip a left-footed shot into the right side of the goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor had five saves and the Bruin defense made that lead stand for their third shutout of the season. The Buckeyes came close to netting the equalizer in the 88^th minute, but Nakfoor  leaped high to knock it away .  

UCLA heads to New Jersey next week to face Rutgers, while Ohio State returns home to host USC.  More from UCLA's win .  

Spartans are No. 1  

When the  IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches Poll  dropped on Tuesday, Michigan State found themselves at the top spot for the second time in three years. 

The Spartans are the new No. 1 for good reason. Led by the duo of Kennedy Bell and Kayla Briggs, they have faced arguably the toughest schedule in the country to this point and remain unbeaten at 6-0-2. Ranked victories over North Carolina and UCLA on the road, and another at home against Colorado, have provided Michigan State with a rock-solid resume. 

The Spartans’ next challenge comes Sunday when they host in-state rival Michigan at DeMartin Stadium.  

Top performers 

With conference play fully underway, let’s take a look at some of the top performers around the Big Ten so far this season: 

• Purdue leads the country in goals with 37, and the main cog in the Boilers’ high-powered engine is Jaiden Anderson. Anderson leads the Big Ten in goals (eight), points (18), and shots (39). Anderson’s running mate Rose Maalouf is tied for second in the conference with six goals. 
• Tied with Maalouf in the Big Ten ranks is Ohio State’s Amanda Schlueter. The senior Buckeye trails just Anderson in the conference with 14 points and six goals.  
• Freshman Izy Traub has burst onto the scene for No. 14 Wisconsin as a pivotal playmaker. Traub leads the Big Ten with seven assists. 
• In goal, Tanner Ijams is once again making life difficult for No. 11 Washington’s opponents this season. She leads the Big Ten and is fifth in the country with a 0.25 goals against average (GAA) and is also tied for the conference lead with five shutouts. 
• Illinois keeper Izzy Lee and Iowa’s Braelynn Galt also join Ijams with five shutouts so far this season.  
• In her first season starting, Ohio State’s Peighton Northrup has backed the Buckeye defense with a 0.38 GAA and conference-leading 89.3% save percentage.  
• No one’s been busier than Olivia Bodmer. The Rutgers’ keeper leads the Big Ten with 38 saves and 5.43 saves per match. 

Photo courtesy of  uclabruins.com .