COLLEGE STATION, Texas “”mdash; Following UCLA’s 2-1 loss to USC, seniors Danesha Adams and Valerie Henderson sat alongside one another, with tears rolling down their faces and not many words to exchange.
Their college careers had come to an abrupt end and their fourth trip to the College Cup had become eerily similar to the first three.
“I’ve been here four years in a row and I haven’t gotten it done yet,” Adams said. “That makes me think in the back of my head, “˜What am I doing wrong?'”
Four years ago Adams and Henderson traveled to play on the biggest stage in their first College Cup.
As freshmen, they didn’t know exactly what to expect, but made it to the championship game where they lost 4-3 in penalty kicks to Notre Dame.
That wouldn’t be the first time the Bruin duo would fall just short of the title, as they suffered a similar heartbreaking loss in the championship game the very next year against Portland.
And again, a year later, during their junior season in 2006, the Bruins lost in the semifinals to North Carolina.
The three disappointing losses had them hungry during their senior season, ready to finally lead the Bruins to a title.
And their teammates wanted to win just as much, so that they would be able to send off their seniors on a high note.
“A lot of us wanted to win it for them this year so in that sense it’s really sad,” sophomore midfielder Dea Cook said. “I can’t even look at them right now because it makes me sad.”
Even UCLA coach Jill Ellis had great feelings of sympathy for her graduating seniors, and acknowledges their contributions to the team as ones that will be everlasting.
“I’m very proud of them and what they’ve brought to our program and the way they’ve represented us,” Ellis said. “I’m very, very disappointed that they couldn’t come out with a championship in their four years.”
Although their chances to capture the elusive national title have been worn out, the legacy that Adams and Henderson will leave behind is one that has had a great impact on current members of the team.
Henderson, the starting goalkeeper ever since her arrival to Westwood, has evolved into a natural leader who used her booming voice and natural presence to help guide the back line in times when the opposition was pushing forward.
For Cook, it was through Henderson that she learned the most about becoming a good defender, as the experienced veteran guided her in games and practices.
“She’s the best keeper I’ve ever played with,” Cook said. “She’s just been such a force, such a talker, just leading the whole field and we can all hear her out there.
“We obviously get new players every year, but whoever that is has some big shoes to fill.”
Adams, meanwhile, has been an integral part of a Bruin offense that ranks sixth in the nation in goals scored, and though the depth at the forward position is more impressive than that of goalkeeper for the Bruins, the loss of Adams will add one more pair of cleats the team will have to fill as they look to start fresh in a new season with a national championship in mind.
But for now, being the competitors that they have grown to be, Adams and Henderson will continue to reflect on their careers and ask themselves the nagging question.
“I look back and I’m really proud of the teams I’ve played on and the success that we’ve had, but you always want the championship,” Henderson said.
“We’ve come here four years and we still can’t get it done,” Adams said. “”˜What’s wrong?’ That’s the question we keep asking ourselves.”