COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Abygale Kim (So., Palm Springs, Calif.) scored four times to pick-up Player of the Game recognition as No. 4-ranked/Pacific Coast Division Champion the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) dispatched No. 20/New York Division Champion Cornell University, 22-4, in the opening round of the 2024 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship hosted at Texas A&M University’s Student Rec Center.
The victory advances the Bruins to an 11:20 a.m. Central quarterfinal game on Saturday, May 4, against the winner of a first round game pitting No. 5/Midwest Division Champion the University of Notre Dame and No. 14/Rocky Mountain Division Champion the University of Colorado. Cornell will face the loser of the Irish-Buffaloes contest at 8:45 a.m. Central tonight in the consolation side of the 16-team championship bracket as the Big Red can not finish higher than Ninth Place in the final championship standings due to the opening round defeat.
Cornell jumped on the scoreboard first in the game as Emily Fitzgerald (Jr., Sydney, Australia) broke the ice with a man-up score 51 seconds into the game with 6:09 left in the first quarter. It marked the only time the Big Red led in the contest as the Bruins outscored Cornell 6-2 over the remainder of the opening frame to acquire a three-goal lead after seven minutes of action.
The margin ballooned to 11-4 by halftime prior to UCLA outscoring Cornell 7-0 and 4-0 in the third and fourth quarters to overpower the Big Red and roll to a 22-4 victory.
Fitzgerald finished with a hat-trick (three goals), while Ho’ohila Kawelo (Jr., Kane’ohe, Hawaii) chipped in a solo marker.
Kim, Charley Jackson (Sr., Whittier, Calif.) (two), Matalene Winters (Fr., Malibu, Calif.) (two), Maggie Benson (Fr., Indian Wells, Calif.) (two), Rachel Galvin (Fr., Napa Calif.) (two) and Grayson Macleod (Fr., Santa Barbara, Calif.) (two) posted multi-score games to combine for 14 of the Bruins’ tallies, while Meena Khan (Sr., Napa, Calif.), Elizabeth Williams (Fr., Pleasanton, Calif.), Jaden Nguyen (Jr., Palm Desert, Calif.), Grace Crabtree (Fr., San Diego, Calif.), Jordyn Nishimura (Fr., Honolulu, Hawaii), Abby Brooks (So., Mill Valley, Calif.), Samantha DiMarco (Fr., Eugene, Ore.) and Sydney Adler (Fr., San Jose, Calif.) racked up solo markers.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| No. 20 Cornell University |
3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 4 |
| No. 4 University of California-Los Angeles | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | – | 22 |
| UCLA Goals: | Abygale Kim (4); Charley Jackson (2); Matalene Winters (2); Maggie Benson (2); Rachel Galvin (2); Grayson Macleod; (2); Meena Khan; Elizabeth Williams; Jaden Nguyen; Grace Crabtree; Jordyn Nishimura; Abby Brooks; Samantha DiMarco; Sydney Adler | |||||
| Cornell Goals: | Emily Fitzgerald (3); Ho’ohila Kawelo | |||||
| Exclusions: | Yale – 10 ; Cornell – 6 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Yale – 3-for-6 ; Cornell – 2-for-10 | |||||
| Sprints: | Yale – 3-for-4 (1st, 3rd, 4th) ; Cornell – 1-for-4 (2nd) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Bruce Morehouse, Jennifer Frain | |||||
Cornell University’s Emily Fitzgerald (#4) tries for a steal against the University of California-Los Angeles’ Jordyn Nishimura (#15)
The University of California-Los Angeles’ Charley Jackson (#10) scans for an opening as Cornell University’s MJ Raade (#8) defends
