The USD women's soccer team failed to advance from an NCAA Tournament regional at UCLA for the seventh time, and it is now 1-15-3 all-time against the Bruins.

What those statistics don't say, though, is how close the Toreros came to reversing that trend last night.

Top-seeded and undefeated UCLA beat the visiting Toreros 1-0 at Drake Stadium in a second-round match postponed from Sunday afternoon due to poor air quality from the Southern California fires. But it took a point-blank miss by the Toreros in the first half, and a 78th-minute goal that came on a deflection off a USD defender.

“We did very, very well,” USD coach Ada Greenwood said. “I can't ask anything more from my team, and you know me, I very rarely say that. My team played fantastic and they had a very good chance of winning the game. Considering who we were playing and where we were playing, we did well.”

The 16th-ranked Toreros (15-5-2), who beat Long Beach State in Friday's first round, had the best chance of the first half when a shot by sophomore Jackie Zinke slammed off the crossbar and bounced into the goalmouth. Senior Amy Epsten, the leading scorer in USD history, then watched in disbelief as her header toward an open net sailed high.

UCLA regrouped in the second half and outshot the Toreros 10-3. The game's lone score came on a shot by Kara Lang that deflected off a USD defender and caromed just over the reach of goalkeeper Brittany Cameron. The official scoresheet called it an own goal.

Zinke nearly tied it with three minutes left, but her shot from the right side whizzed just over the crossbar.

“Unfortunate, mate, unfortunate,” Greenwood said.

UCLA (20-0-2) advances to the Round of 16 against defending NCAA champion USC, most likely at UCLA.

USD, meanwhile, can plot its revenge. It opens the 2009 season against . . . UCLA.

– MARK ZEIGLER