The UCLA women’s soccer team beat USC in the second round
of the 2000 NCAA tournament, then defeated Texas A&M in the
third round. After that, the Bruins took a trip to the eastern
seaboard, where they defeated a favored Clemson University.
That path took them to the final four.
In 2002, the Bruins defeated USC in the second round and now
face Texas A&M in the third round Saturday night at Drake
Stadium. Should UCLA beat A&M, they will advance to the
quarterfinals and face the winner of the Tennessee-North Carolina
third-round match.
If the Tar Heels and Bruins win as expected, UCLA heads back to
the eastern seaboard and will attempt to make history repeat itself
with a trip to the Final Four.
“I’ve not seen similarities,” UCLA head coach
Jillian Ellis said. “It’s a different team and
it’s a different year. There’s not a lot of speculation
or assumption that we’re going to go the Final Four.
We’re here, we’re in this game and we’re in this
moment and whatever happens, happens.”
The Bruins have taken special care to promote temporary amnesia
by making inspirational shirts that succinctly state “one
game at a time.”
UCLA would probably rather not look too far ahead, as it faces a
school that is one of the best in the nation.
If UCLA thought getting the No. 7 seed in the tournament was
unfair, that was a gift compared to the hand the unseeded Aggies
were dealt.
“I almost thought about calling (Texas A&M head coach)
G. Guerrieri and consoling him, because I think his team deserved a
seed,” Ellis said.
So now the Bruins (18-3) and the Aggies (19-4-1) are stuck with
each other. This is a tough match-up in the Sweet Sixteen ““
with potentially an even tougher quarterfinal to follow. The Bruins
however, claim to prefer it this way.
“We’re going to have to beat tough teams to get to
the finals,” junior forward Sarah-Gayle Swanson said.
“I would rather play hard teams, because it shows that we
should be in the finals.”
For UCLA, it’s been a tough road just getting to the third
round of the College Cup. It took them two overtime periods and 22
shots to beat USC, 1-0, in a physical second-round match.
“We have to finish those chances,” Swanson said of
the 21 missed shots.
“To be that close to ending our season on a team we felt
we outperformed that night was a wake-up call.”
UCLA will have to face yet another physical team in the Aggies,
but the Bruins are unafraid of the prospect.
They are confident they will secure another victory and gain
passage to the quarterfinals for the third year in a row.
“As long as we keep playing, there’s nothing to
worry about,” sophomore forward Lindsay Greco said. “I
think we’ll do fine.”