This hasn’t been the easiest of seasons for the UCLA
women’s soccer team.
Though the No. 2 Bruins (14-1-3, 5-0-1 Pac-10) have lost only
once, the team has been forced to battle injuries and overcome
adversity both on and off the field all season.
Now, however, as the Pac-10 schedule comes to a close with a
match today at Oregon State and Sunday at Oregon, the Bruins are
finally starting to peak.
“I think it’s taken this team a little bit longer to
find its feet, in the sense that that the last four or five games
we’ve really started to click,” coach Jill Ellis
said.
In the Bruins’ past five games, all wins, they’ve
outscored their opponents by a combined 15-1. They’ve been
playing so well, in fact, that eighth-year USC coach Jim Millinder
said this is probably the best UCLA team he’s seen since he
began coaching the Trojans.
Ellis agreed.
“At this point, this is as good a team as I’ve had
here,” she said. “Part of that is finding the right
chemistry.”
A lot of that chemistry has developed from a subtle lineup
change instituted by the Bruin coach. The team has taken a more
offensive stance as the year has progressed, starting natural
forwards Lindsay Greco and Sarah-Gayle Swanson in the midfield in
the team’s 4-4-2 set. Up front, sophomore Iris Mora and
freshman Bristyn Davis have continued to grow more and more
comfortable with one another.
This weekend it’s possible that the team could be without
Davis, who sprained her ankle in practice Wednesday. If Davis is
unable to play, junior Kim Devine will start in her place.
Otherwise, Ellis’ lineup will remain unchanged.
“We’re playing well, so we don’t really want
to tinker too much,” she said.
Today’s battle with the Beavers (7-9-2, 3-3-1) is the
match on which the Bruins are really focused, because it holds
repercussions for the fast-approaching postseason.
Ellis believes a UCLA win today would virtually guarantee the
team a home-field advantage through the first four rounds of the
College Cup. A win or a tie would also secure the outright Pac-10
title.
“I think Friday’s result will be the determining
factor in whether we get a No. 2 seed in the tournament,” she
said. “We’re not going into the game lightly.
We’re going in to get the result.”
The Bruins, who have had the luxury of playing their past five
games in Westwood, will now have to contend with the challenges
presented in the Pacific Northwest. Showers are predicted for
today’s game, and the surface at Oregon State plays a lot
slower than the one at Drake Stadium.
“We’re used to the ball zipping around a bit,”
Ellis said. “For us, with good team speed, it slows you down.
I think it’s home-field advantage up there for
sure.”
The Bruins lost at Oregon State two years ago, but they own a
6-2 advantage in the all-time series.
The Beavers are led by sophomore forward Tessa Baker, who has
totaled 10 goals and three assists this season to rank third in the
Pac-10 with 23 points.
Upset-minded Oregon State has already defeated the likes of
Washington and Stanford this season, so this certainly isn’t
a game the Bruins are taking lightly, especially with their desire
to secure the No. 2 seed and home-field advantage for the
playoffs.
“I think the players know what’s at stake,”
Ellis said.
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Sophomore midfielder Stacy Lindstrom and freshman defender Mary
Castelanelli will only play this weekend if they are needed.
Lindstrom suffered a high ankle sprain Oct. 17 against Stanford,
and Castelanelli has a bulging disc in her back. She will have
surgery at the end of the season.