During her tenure as coach of the UCLA women’s soccer
team, Jill Ellis has built the program into a consistent winner.
Now she looks to do the same at the international level. This week,
Ellis will lead the U.S. Under-21 National Team in the Nordic Cup,
the most prestigious international tournament at the U-21 level,
which is held annually in northern Europe. This year’s
tournament is being hosted by Norway. “It is a privilege to
work with the national team program and I really enjoy it,”
Ellis said. “The chance to work with the best players in the
country is a great experience and very rewarding.” Four
athletes from UCLA ““ more than from any other college ““
are among the 18 who make up the roster. Goalkeeper Valerie
Henderson, midfielders Bristyn Davis and Danesha Adams, and
incoming freshman defender Lauren Wilmoth will get the chance to
play for Ellis during international competition. Only three players
return from last year’s victorious squad and only four
““ including Davis in 2003 ““ have previously played in
the tournament. The relative inexperience of the team is partially
due to the fact that several top players are unavailable because of
other national team responsibilities. The U-20 Women’s World
Championship and World Cup qualifying will take place later this
year. Still, Ellis is optimistic about her team and relishes the
chance to coach the top youth talent from across America. “We
have had a smaller pool to choose from compared to past years, but
I really like the group we have assembled,” Ellis said.
“The level of experience is deeper on a national team ““
many of these players are the top players at their respective
colleges. It is like bringing together an all-star team and
blending them into a team.” The Bruins will undoubtedly
benefit from the opportunity to compete against top-flight
international competition. Henderson is joined by Cori Alexander
from Portland as the American goalkeeping pair. Adams will likely
be counted on to provide some scoring punch up front, as she has
already recorded 14 goals this year at the U-20 level. Wilmoth, who
has yet to play for the Bruins, hails from Garland, Texas and is
the youngest player on the squad headed to Norway. A top player
previously at the U-17 level, Wilmoth impressed Ellis and several
other more experienced players with her competitiveness and
ability. She was named a Parade All-American for 2006 and may play
a vital role for UCLA in the fall with the graduation of central
defender Jill Oakes. The United States has won the Nordic Cup for
seven consecutive years, and eight out of the last nine. Ellis has
been a part of four American Nordic Cup teams, the last three as
head coach.
U-20 TEAM: The 2006 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World
Championship will be held Aug. 17-Sept. 3 in Russia. Five Bruins
have been selected by coach Tim Schulz. As was the case at the U-21
level, UCLA has the most players selected of any college in the
country. Adams and Henderson will serve double duty and play
alongside sophomores Erin Hardy and Christina DiMartino and
incoming freshman Lauren Cheney. Cheney was recently named Gatorade
National Soccer Player of the Year. The tournament will affect the
depth of the UCLA roster at the beginning of the year, as the
Bruins are scheduled to play four games before its end. “I am
very proud we have so many Bruins on the world championship
team,” Ellis said. “Although we will miss them for
several matches, it is a tremendous honor and we are truly excited
for them.”
INJURY REPORT: Bruin sophomore Kara Lang has a torn ACL and it
is unknown how long she will be sidelined. Lang, from Ontario,
Canada, was the youngest person ever to play for the Canadian
national team at the age of 15. In the NCAA Tournament, Lang scored
eight goals, helping the Bruins to an appearance in the finals.
GOALKEEPER TRANSFER: Sophomore Kelsey Davis has been given a full
release from her scholarship and has decided to transfer from UCLA
to Portland. She will redshirt the 2006 season. “I was
looking for a change of scenery, having grown up and lived in
Southern California my whole life,” Davis told
PortlandPilots.com. “I wanted to go to a smaller school with
good academics, and the soccer program at Portland is just
amazing.” UCLA lost to Portland in the NCAA Finals last
season. During her freshman campaign, Davis played in eight
matches, including two starts, both of which were shutouts. She did
not allow a goal in 298 minutes of play while making eight saves.
The top goalkeeper recruit according to Student Sports magazine in
2005, Davis was a 2005 Parade All-American and three-time
NSCAA/adidas Youth All-American. Davis has also been named to the
U-20 World Championship roster, having previously represented the
U.S. at the U-19, U-17, and U-16 levels.