A spot atop national rankings is given for a reason.
To earn it, teams have to remain dominant against any opponent, no matter their standing. And the Cardinal once again proved they can do just that.
No. 17 UCLA women’s soccer (1-2-1) was denied 3-0 by No. 1 Stanford (4-0) on the road at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium on Thursday night, in its second shutout of the season. The Bruins earned just one win thus far in their 2026 campaign, which started at the beginning of the month, but remained steady in their ranking as one of the nation’s top-20 teams.
Thursday’s game presented UCLA with the tall task of taking on the country’s best team – a challenge it tackled successfully just under a year ago when they knocked off a similarly ranked No. 1 Stanford at home Sept. 5, 2025.
Any deja vu the Bruins felt entering kickoff – this time on enemy territory – returned when forward Bella Winn scored in the 21st minute. But the feeling came with a twinge of nostalgia. This time around Winn was donning Cardinal red, and her goal did not fall in favor of the Westwood squad.
Winn transferred to Stanford ahead of the 2026 season after a breakout freshman campaign at UCLA that earned her a Big Ten Freshman of the Year accolade and All-Big Ten second-team honors. The Ridgewood, New Jersey, local’s recognition on the conference stage likely came because of her considerable contributions to the Bruins’ offense, which she led with a team-high eight goals on the season.
Despite losing Winn at the helm of it, UCLA retained almost the rest of its frontline, including senior forward Oruha Hayashi, whose two goals lead her team this season.
The five shots the Bruins accumulated throughout the evening, including two on frame, were not nearly enough to stymie the 18 shots – 12 of which reached or extended past the hands of sophomore goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor – the Cardinal racked up.
Considering Stanford’s proliferation of UCLA’s net, the chances were stacked in its favor to find the back of the net again after Winn’s opener. The opportunity to do so came almost immediately after, and Brooke Holden redirected a free kick with her head in the 24th minute, sending it against the back of the net for a successful execution of the Cardinal’s set piece.
Junior forward Kara Croone, an Auburn transfer who has helped fill Winn’s place on UCLA’s frontline, came off the bench to generate two of her team’s chances in the second half, including a shot on goal in the 79th minute.
Stanford’s heroics on the night were not finished yet, though, and Winn got in on the action once again, assisting the Cardinal’s final nail in the coffin: a left-footed goal from midfielder/forward Charlotte Kohler in the 82nd minute.
Stanford managed its dominant performance – championed by two assists and one goal from freshmen – despite missing six of its underclassmen, all of whom are preparing to compete for their respective national teams at the U20 World Cup commencing Sept. 5.
The Bruins’ trip to Palo Alto kicked off a two-game series in the Bay Area, with the team set to face off against Santa Clara on Saturday.
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