Thursday, 4/10/97
Tonight’s game to decide season
Team can break tie, enter playoffs if they defeat LMU
By Rocky Salmon
Daily Bruin Contributor
Tonight will determine whether the season was a success or a
disappointment for the UCLA men’s lacrosse team, as the
eighth-ranked Bruins travel to Loyola Marymount.
If they lose, the season will have been a fun ride with a sad
ending. A win, on the other hand, will result in a UCLA (11-4)
playoff berth.
"With a lot of seniors on the team we want to go out in a bang,"
senior attackman Robert Gamble said. "If we lose tonight it will
break our season. Men’s lacrosse hasn’t been to the playoffs in the
past five years."
At the start of the season, UCLA flew through conference play by
going undefeated in the first five games against Division II teams.
Then the trouble hit.
"We defeated all the Division II teams we have faced this year,"
senior midfielder Rocky Choi said. "But we also have only beat one
Division I team. If we want to prove that we belong with the big
boys we are going to have to beat them."
By losing three out of four to Division I teams, the Bruins
knocked themselves out of first place in the Western Collegiate
Lacrosse League. Halfway into the season the club had moved into a
No. 6 ranking, with virtually a lock for a playoff spot. Then they
struggled against teams ranked above them and fell into a tie with
LMU.
Earlier in the preseason, the two teams met and UCLA won 4-2 in
a defensive battle. Since that victory, the Bruins have improved
their offensive attack by adding freshman attackman Matt Hill, who
netted 35 goals by the end of March, and the stellar performance of
Robert Gamble, who has sparked the offense with 43 goals and 37
assists.
Freshman goalie Peter Abbott has emerged as a key defensive
player as well, particularly during UCLA’s spring break road trip
that included a 13-10 victory over Sacramento State and a 20-9
defeat of Humboldt. Although the game ended in a loss, Abbott
recorded 29 saves March 22 at Santa Barbara.
"Both of our offenses are really clicking so it is going to
depend on our defense to shut them down," Choi said.
Riding a four-game winning streak and a 23-5 thrashing of San
Diego State, the Bruins are looking forward to defeating the Lions.
In 1996, LMU knocked UCLA out of the playoffs in the last game of
the season, so the Bruins are looking for a little bit of
redemption.