Flat on her back, surrounded by a horde of trainers and coaches,
UCLA freshman forward Danesha Adams had only one thing on her
mind.
Adams, who sustained a neck injury in the 83rd minute of the No.
7 Bruins’ 1-0 overtime victory over Santa Clara Sunday and
left the field in an ambulance, pleaded with her teammates to pull
out the win.
“In the huddle we were all saying there’s no way
they were going to beat us after taking down one of our
players,” said sophomore Bristyn Davis, who drew a
controversial foul in double overtime that paved the way for senior
Kendal Billingsley’s game-winning penalty kick. “It
definitely helped refocus us.”
It didn’t take long for the UCLA trainers to reach Adams
after she was undercut by Santa Clara defender Catherine Sigler and
plummeted head first into the ground. Adams never lost feeling in
her extremities, but remained virtually motionless on the grass for
roughly 20 minutes until she was lifted onto a stretcher and taken
away.
UCLA coach Jill Ellis said Adams would have X-rays taken at the
UCLA Medical Center, but was unsure how serious it was.
“She did a bit of a face plant, and she landed
funny,” Ellis said. “We had her taken to the hospital,
but it was very much precautionary. You run hard, you get hit, and
you fall hard sometimes.”
Motivated by their fallen teammate’s request, the Bruins
found their footing on offense. Held to just four shots prior to
the injury, UCLA (8-3) registered five in the game’s final 20
minutes.
Iris Mora and Crystal James each generated scoring
opportunities, but it was Davis who helped UCLA end its dry spell
in the 105th minute. Splitting a pair of Santa Clara defenders,
Davis was about to take a shot on goal when she was dragged down
from behind inside the penalty box.
Referee Mark Arblaster, who had ignored several potential fouls
earlier in the match, chose the most crucial time to blow his
whistle. Billingsley calmly drilled the penalty kick past Santa
Clara goalkeeper Julie Ryder and into the top right corner of the
net, giving UCLA its first ever victory over the No. 15 Broncos
(6-3-2).
“The only disappointing thing about the entire match was
that it ended controversially,” Santa Clara coach Jerry Smith
said. “As a referee you usually know when you’ve made a
good call by the players’ body language. In this case,
everyone was asking, “˜What did he call?'”
Even the Bruins were surprised that Arblaster blew his
whistle.
“I was surprised,” Davis said.
“Am I going to argue?” asked Ellis. “Heck
no.”
The goal salvaged what had been a very frustrating weekend for
UCLA. On Friday night, the host Bruins lost 2-1 to unranked Utah
despite outshooting the Utes 15-4. Starting midfielder Caitlin
Ursini broke her wrist in the game, adding another name to
UCLA’s list of players who have missed time due to
injuries.
On Sunday, the Bruins again had trouble. Davis had UCLA’s
best chance in regulation, but hurried her shot and kicked it wide
of the net from six yards out after beating the offsides trap on a
set piece.
Santa Clara actually outplayed UCLA for most of regulation, but
never did break through. Not long after Broncos forward Micaela
Esquivel hit the crossbar in the 51st minute, UCLA goalkeeper
Valerie Henderson made the best of her four saves. She dove to
punch away a second-half shot by forward Brittany Klein that likely
would have found the net.
The victory, perhaps UCLA’s best of the season thus far,
marked the end of the Bruins’ non-conference season.
Though the Bruins faced one of the most difficult preseason
schedules in the nation, Ellis believed they have navigated it
unscathed.
“We have the No. 2 RPI in the country,” she said.
“It’s been a good test, but I’m proud of how
we’ve come through it.”