The UCLA women’s soccer team couldn’t be more
ecstatic.
What could have been a potential cross-country flight is now a
home game against Duke in the third round of the NCAA Tournament
Saturday afternoon.
The No. 14 Bruins had been expecting to travel to No. 3
Virginia, who defeated UCLA 3-1 early in the season, but unseeded
Duke sprung a 3-0 upset on the highly ranked Cavaliers. That means
that the Bruins will be at home for one more round, a pleasant
surprise for the players and coaches.
“The thing we are most excited about is playing at
home,” junior midfielder Jill Oakes said. “We play best
when we are at home.
“It is also exciting to play one last game at home for the
seniors.”
The Bruins (15-6) advanced to the third round of the NCAA
Tournament for the sixth straight season by shutting out Pepperdine
and San Diego. Their next opponent, however, should certainly be a
step up in competition.
UCLA did not face the Blue Devils this season. But the Bruins
did defeat them 2-1 a year ago in Durham, N.C.
Based on that matchup, coach Jill Ellis is somewhat familiar
with the Blue Devils’ style of play.
“They are a technical team that plays good soccer,”
Ellis said. “They will be ready and be organized.
“This game is up for grabs.”
Playing good soccer is what Ellis has her team doing after an
inconsistent Pac-10 season.
Against both Pepperdine and San Diego, UCLA dominated the flow
of the game, handily outshooting both teams and getting the best of
the scoring opportunities. The Bruins played stout defense,
limiting the Waves and Toreros to single-digit shot totals.
Before that UCLA ended the regular season on a high note,
capturing a dramatic 3-2 victory against crosstown rival USC.
“I think we’re doing better under pressure,”
Oakes said. “That is why we play well against better teams
because we feel the pressure to step up and play better instead of
taking it easy.”
Senior defender Amy Fazio credits the team for regaining focus
for their strong play of late.
“We just try to put the past behind us and focus on
what’s ahead of us,” Fazio said.
The road ahead is wide open for the Bruins, who are looking to
make the Final Four for the second consecutive season. With
Virginia eliminated, only two seeded teams, No. 6 Ohio State and
No. 11 Tennessee, remain in UCLA’s quarter of the
bracket.
If UCLA does beat Duke it would travel to face the winner
between those two teams the weekend after Thanksgiving.
That, however, isn’t entering the Bruins minds as they
prepare for Duke on Saturday.
“We aren’t thinking about the future or who we just
played last weekend, we are focusing on Duke,” Fazio
said.
“My parents and everybody keeps talking about it (the
favorable draw) but that’s my honest answer, I am only
thinking about Duke.”