Loud, raucous crowd? Check.
Intense, physical play? Check.
Dramatic overtime heroics? Check.
Clearly, it’s just another UCLA-USC women’s soccer
game.
The No. 4 Bruins (12-2, 3-0) made history repeat itself on
Sunday, as they won yet another rivalry matchup against the No. 19
Trojans (7-3-3, 0-1-2) 2-1 in overtime at USC’s McAlister
Field.
Tied 1-1 after 90 minutes of play, the crosstown foes were
facing overtime for the third straight season. In a show of
experience and savvy, UCLA’s two seniors on the field made
the most important play of the game.
Eight minutes into the first sudden-death overtime period,
senior Bristyn Davis won the ball near the right sideline and sent
a bending cross into the box, finding fellow senior Stacy
Lindstrom, who headed in the ball for the winning goal.
“Those kind of end-of-the-game goals, clutch goals, you
don’t really plan,” Lindstrom said. “You just
finish the runs you need to make, and then it just kind of
happened. As long as you get your work done, [goals]
happen.”
The scene seemed to be pulled straight out of the archives, as
Davis made the same play just one year ago against the same USC
Trojans. Last year, Davis made a similar cross to former Bruin Iris
Mora, who knocked in the game-winner in double overtime for a 3-2
victory.
“It was eerily familiar,” said UCLA coach Jill
Ellis. “[Davis] got it wide, won it, and she served it in. It
was senior to senior. I’m so happy for those guys, Stacy and
Bristyn, my two seniors on the field. What a way to go ““ it
was awesome.”
This is UCLA’s eighth consecutive win over USC, with the
last three victories coming on golden goals in overtime.
“Every year it’s the same thing,” said Ellis.
“It’s uncanny how it’s always overtime.
It’s never pretty. I told my team before, “˜There are no
real keys to this game. It’s about emotion.'”
UCLA had been only 1-2 on the road before Sunday and was
presented with a stiff test as USC packed the house with 1,199 on
hand, setting a McAlister Field attendance record .
The young Bruins stepped up to match the intensity and emotion
of the rivalry for a win. As she has done all season, freshman
Lauren Cheney came up big for the Bruins when she netted the
game’s first goal, putting away a cross from junior Danesha
Adams in the 69th minute. It was Cheney’s team-leading 11th
goal of the year, and it came at a critical time as the Bruins had
a goal disallowed by an offside call on freshman Kristina Larsen
just two minutes prior.
“There is no environment like being in the pressure
cooker,” Ellis said. “[The freshmen] are just growing,
and they’re getting confident. The occasional mistake comes
out, but they’ve definitely improved.”
The Trojans took advantage of one such youthful mistake, with
Ashley Nick drawing the Trojans level in the 78th minute with a
rocket from 25 yards out on the right side.
However, it was the Bruins who stepped up the rest of the way,
playing with emotion like their coach wanted and coming through
once again in overtime.