Confidence and experience.
That’s what the No. 1 UCLA women’s soccer team has after reeling off an improbable 2-1 comeback win in overtime against No. 7 Virginia after a Cavalier goal gave them the lead with less than 15 minutes remaining.
“We were behind and we never gave up,” sophomore Lauren Cheney said. “That shows a lot of character and mental toughness, so that’s always a good thing and (a) confidence-booster.”
Cheney, who scored the game-winning goal in the first period of overtime, and her teammates now feel that they have gained valuable experience that will be beneficial to them as the NCAA Championships continue.
It was only the second time this season that the Bruins had gone down 1-0. The only other such situation was in a game against Santa Clara, but UCLA had much more time to respond in that game, with the goal coming in the 22nd minute. The Broncos felt the wrath of the Bruins’ response, and suffered a 4-1 defeat.
UCLA coach Jill Ellis has seen her teams struggle with the tendency to fall behind before, notably last season, when they would often allow goals at the onset of games before fighting their way back. And although she knows her team is capable of coming back after having their backs against the wall, Ellis would rather avoid such situations altogether.
“I know we have it within us to battle back, but obviously you’d rather not be in that situation if you can help it,” she said.
But perhaps going through such a close game can be seen as being an ideal test of the Bruins’ character and their ability to deal with pressure, as the road to the NCAA Championship only gets harder from here. UCLA takes on second-seeded Portland on Friday night.
“I think (that game experience is) really important because from now on every team we play is going to be a good team so we can’t be surprised if we end up in that sort of situation again,” redshirt sophomore Kara Lang said.
Lang, who was playing with the Canadian National Team earlier in the Bruins’ season, made her return to collegiate soccer against the Pilots earlier this year, scoring two goals, including the game-winner in overtime.
“It just shows the character of our team right now ““ being able to pull something like that off,” Lang said. “Now that we are confident that we can deal with it, it’ll definitely give us some faith if we’re in that situation again.
“Obviously it bodes well for us for the rest of the tournament.”
FREE KICKS: With the 2-1 win over Virginia, UCLA extended its home winning streak to 35 games, the nation’s longest such streak, which dates back to Sept. 9, 2005, when the Bruins lost 1-0 in double overtime to Penn State. With a win on Friday night, the Bruins would be the only team to have reached five consecutive College Cups. Cheney topped Traci Arkenberg’s UCLA mark for single-season points after recording a goal and an assist against Virginia and also tied Danesha Adams’ school record for game-winning goals with nine.