Thursday, October 24, 1996
WOMEN’S SOCCER:
UCLA remains a contender for Pac-10 title despite lossBy Brad
Zucker
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The USC women’s soccer team sent a resounding message to its
Pac-10 adversaries on Wednesday afternoon: Give them a chance, and
they’ll rip your heart out.
And much to the chagrin of the UCLA Bruins (9-5-1, 3-1-0 Pac
10), the Trojans (12-4-0, 4-2-0) picked right now to announce their
presence as a title contender.
"It just seemed like they had more heart than us today," junior
forward Traci Arkenberg said. "They came out wanting to kill
us."
Led by freshman sensation Isabelle Harvey, ‘kill’ them is
exactly what the Trojans did to the Bruins in the second half.
With her team down 2-1 in the final half, Harvey played the role
of of a fireman rushing into a burning house. The Pac-10 scoring
leader helped tie the score with an assist to teammate Amy
Peterson, then punched in a goal of her own in the 82nd minute for
the game-winner.
Harvey’s second-half assist was part of an amazing play in which
Peterson found herself receiving the pass while lying on the ground
just in front of the goal. Peterson proceeded to kick a slow-roller
past unsuspecting Bruin goalkeeper Lindsay Culp.
"This was a great fight and a great battle," said USC coach Jim
Milinder. "We believe in ourselves now. As the season progressed, I
don’t think we believed that we could be this good. Now we believe.
We’re over the hump now, and are taking this program to a new
level."
Despite the loss, the Bruins still control their own destiny in
the Pac-10 race. With the Pac-10 season winding down, UCLA must win
their remaining three games to win the conference and ensure an
NCAA tournament bid.
Arkenberg was the only bright spot for the Bruins on Wednesday,
finishing the game with both of UCLA’s goals. The second goal came
in spectacular fashion, as Arkenberg stole the ball from a USC
defender, then sent the ball hurtling into the upper-right corner
of the net.
But, ultimately, the day belonged to Harvey. The first-year
player finished the game with one goal and two assists, and
captured the lead in the nation for game-winning goals.
Not bad for a rookie.
UCLA Sports Info
Louise Lieberman