CARY, N.C. “”mdash; Had it not been for a needless foul late in
the second half, UCLA might have been able to extend its shutout
streak one more game. The Bruins, who did not allow a goal in their
first five playoff matches, surrendered only a penalty kick goal
scored by Notre Dame’s Katie Thorlakson in the 73rd minute of
Sunday’s championship match. “That’s an
accomplishment in itself,” UCLA midfielder Jill Oakes said.
“The only goal that was scored against us in the whole
tournament was a PK. That’s a credit to our defense and to
the team in general.” The Bruins, who held Princeton’s
20-goal scorer Esmeralda Negron without a shot in Friday’s
semifinal match, had a bit more trouble with Thorlakson, a Hermann
Award candidate and the nation’s leading goal scorer.
Thorlakson, who already had generated several good scoring chances,
drew the penalty on what seemed at first to be a very innocuous
play. The junior forward received a pass at the top of the box and
looked to turn past the Bruin defense. UCLA sophomore Mary
Castelanelli, who appeared to get away with a handball outside the
box seconds earlier, pulled Thorlakson down as she crossed into the
box, leading to the Fighting Irish’s lone goal in regulation.
“From my angle, I couldn’t really tell what
happened,” UCLA coach Jill Ellis said. “But I thought
the referee did a good job with things. I wouldn’t really
question it.”
STRONG FINISH: Danesha Adams, who accounted for
four of UCLA’s 10 postseason goals, wrapped up an exceptional
freshman season with a stellar weekend at the College Cup. Taking
advantage of her primary weapon ““ her speed ““ Adams got
behind the Princeton defense multiple times Friday, posting
UCLA’s first goal of the game early in the second half. Notre
Dame held the freshman forward in check throughout much of
Sunday’s game, but Adams still nearly won it with a
right-footed shot from 10 yards away that Notre Dame goalkeeper
Erika Bohn saved in the 89th minute of regulation.
FRIENDLY WIN: The only downside to advancing to
the championship game for UCLA coach Jill Ellis was that it came at
the expense of her best friend, Princeton coach Julie Shackford.
High school rivals in Northern Virginia and collegiate teammates at
William & Mary, Ellis and Shackford each said they enjoyed
competing against each other. “Julie’s my dear
friend,” Ellis said. “We realize that one of us had to
walk away without the result we wanted. I don’t think
it’s really hard because I have so much respect for her. If
we didn’t win, I’d be happy to see her move
on.”
FULL ITINERARY: In the midst of hiring a
replacement for football coach Tyrone Willingham, Notre Dame
athletic director Kevin White found time to support the Irish
women’s soccer program. White, who reportedly flew to Salt
Lake City to talk to Utah coach Urban Meyer on Thursday, attended
Notre Dame’s semifinal match against Santa Clara the
following day. He flew back to Indiana on Friday night, only to
return in time for Sunday’s championship game. “I
don’t think you will see many athletic directors around the
country that will commit to the soccer program the way he
has,” Irish coach Randy Waldrum said.
QUICK KICKS: Former UCLA associate athletic
director Betsy Stephenson, who stepped down last year to become
athletic director at Emory University, attended both games this
weekend … Notre Dame became the only program other than 17-time
national champion North Carolina to capture multiple NCAA titles
… UCLA’s two-goal performance on Friday marked the first
time Princeton has allowed more than one goal this season … The
last time the Bruins played a game that ended in penalty kicks was
their third-round loss to Texas A&M in the 2002 NCAA Tournament
… Texas A&M will host next year’s women’s College
Cup.