This isn’t the way the UCLA women’s soccer team
envisioned closing out the regular season.
The Bruins, the overwhelming preseason favorites to capture the
Pac-10 championship, have lost two of their last three matches and
likely will be eliminated from contention for the conference title
regardless of how they fare against USC Sunday afternoon.
But just because UCLA has been shuffled back in the Pac-10 race
does not mean the team doesn’t have a lot on the line in its
regular season finale against the Trojans.
“Every player knows what is at stake,” senior
defender Kendal Billingsley said. “Even though the Pac-10
title is probably out of the question, this is a good opportunity
for us to get our confidence up heading into the
tournament.”
More than just another chapter in the rivalry, Sunday’s
match represents a chance for the No. 14 Bruins (12-6, 5-3 Pac-10)
to boost their morale heading into the postseason. Having already
lost more conference matches this season than in the previous three
years combined, UCLA desperately needs a jolt of confidence. The
team believes an emphatic victory over USC (9-8-1, 3-5) could
provide that.
“This season has been so up-and-down that we’ve
gotten a little frustrated,” Billingsley said.
“It’s been difficult for some of the older girls
because we’re not used to being in this situation.”
The one-sided nature of the rivalry gives UCLA a reason to be
confident on Sunday.
Not a single current Bruin player has ever lost to the Trojans,
who have managed one tie in their last seven matches against
UCLA.
Last November, UCLA clinched a share of the 2003 conference
title against USC in a 2-0 victory at Drake Stadium.
“I’ll know we’ll be up for this game,”
UCLA coach Jill Ellis said. “What’s done is done.
We’ll be ready for USC.”
Though the history of the rivalry favors the Bruins, USC will
have plenty of incentive to spring the upset Sunday. A victory
could nudge the Trojans into consideration for an at-large bid to
the NCAA Tournament, but a loss almost certainly would end their
season.
UCLA, on the other hand, is assured of an NCAA berth, and will
be playing to improve its seeding. The Bruins, ranked in the top
five as recently as three weeks ago, likely will still host the
first two rounds of the tournament, but their path back to the
College Cup could be significantly harder than last year’s,
especially if they lose on Sunday.
“We’ve put ourselves in a bind with the
seedings,” Ellis said. “But I’d be very surprised
if we didn’t host a section.”
The 64-team NCAA Tournament pairings will be announced Monday
afternoon. Although the team has not strung together a winning
streak in conference play, a fresh start in the playoffs is what
the Bruins need.
“I have complete faith in our team that we’ll be
ready for the playoffs,” Billingsley said. “We have the
ability and the talent. We just have to make sure we show
up.”