Watch women’s club soccer for entertainment, cheap food

I’m always the one (and who isn’t?) who sneaks in
the bottled water and granola bars to sporting events. A
four-dollar hot dog and three-dollar cup of soda are not my idea of
a good meal.

If you’re like me and these prices are beyond your budget,
I’ve found the perfect sport for you. Think UCLA
women’s soccer, but even more obscure: UCLA women’s
club soccer.

That’s right. Didn’t know it existed? Well, it
does.

In addition to providing the spectator with quality soccer, the
players actually put on bake sales. Brownies, cupcakes, cookies,
some sort of cranberry coffee cake muffin … you name it, these
ladies bake it. Soccer and yummy little morsels: There is no better
combination. It’s like beer and football, only more
refined.

Last weekend, the women hosted an 8-team tournament. They
didn’t come in first, but as a Bruin sports fan, that
didn’t phase me. I was quite content when they only lost one
game, and only by a single goal.

Can you really expect to win the NCAA women’s gymnastics
title and the club soccer tournament in the same weekend?
Let’s be realistic: one championship per weekend.

I was just pleased none of the players were threatening to jump
to the big leagues: the UCLA women’s soccer team. No Trevor
Arizas or Dijon Thompsons in this bunch.

A lot of work goes into running the club. Just ask Marian Wise,
one of the players who helped start it three years ago. She
coordinated this past weekend’s tournament, a job which
entailed ““ among other things ““ contacting the
different schools, reserving the IM field, hiring the referees and
securing a sponsor.

Along with their time, the players also give their money. They
pay for their coach, their uniforms and all of their travel
expenses. Hence, the bake sale.

Imagine how many cookies, at 50 cents a pop, it took to buy a
plane ticket to Alabama, where in November, the team came in third
at Nationals.

Not only are these ladies dedicated, but they’re friendly,
too. I tried my hardest to get them to say something derogatory
about their opponents, fellow Pac-10 teams Stanford and Cal, but
all they offered was praise.

“We have a lot of respect for Cal,” Wise said.
“We really like them.”

I thought my best bet for some good inflammatory comments would
come from UCLA’s Liz St. John, who went up against her
identical twin sister, Laura, who plays for Cal. I figured if you
can’t say something snide about your sibling, you’re a
better person than I am. But the friendly trend prevailed ““
no nasty remarks, no sibling rivalry. I was kind of
disappointed.

When Karen Trattner, one of the UCLA forwards, charged into and
knocked down Cal’s goalkeeper, Trattner was quick to make
sure the Cal player was OK. I thought Trattner was going to give
her a hug.

After the game, Trattner made sure everyone knew it was an
accident.

“I felt so bad,” she said. “I’m just
glad she’s OK.”

The kindness even extended to me. I was thanked multiple times
for coming to their game. They should realize, though, if food is
involved, no other incentive is needed.

In fact, I think in order to get more spectators to come out to
their games, they should downplay the whole soccer part of the
tournament and emphasize the bake sale.

Many of us grew up playing soccer and have had our fill of the
sport. Or, if we really have the desire to watch soccer,
we’re lazy and just turn on a movie like “Bend It Like
Beckham,” (which at first, I was skeptical about, but trust
me, it’s a great movie).

But can anybody ever really say they’re tired of eating
cupcakes? I think not.

I like cake. If you’re having a birthday party and
providing chocolate cake, e-mail me at
rfischerortiz@media.ucla.edu.

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