UCLA hosts Wash. schools

For the UCLA women’s soccer team, this Friday will mark the beginning of Pac-10 Conference play when it hosts the Washington schools.

And the team could not be more excited to get going.

“I think our conference is the best in the country,” coach Jill Ellis said. “I think it is the most competitive and has some of the best talent in the country. (The Pac-10), the ACC and the WCC are in the top. We had two teams in the Final Four last year, so you have to look at that. It’s a very challenging conference, but its good preparation for our postseason.”

Ellis has been around the block a few times and has coached in both the Big 10 and the ACC. Her claim isn’t without support, at least on paper.

The NSCAA/Adidas poll released Sept. 30 ranks three Pac-10 schools in the top six and four in the top 20. Every team in the Pac-10 will enter conference play this week with a winning record. And the conference boasts the defending national champions, USC.

“You ask any coach in our conference, and they’ll say you cannot overlook anybody,” Ellis said. “It’s cliche, but it’s so true with our conference. Every game is difficult.”

Among the most difficult opponents for UCLA will surely be their games against No. 5 USC, No. 6 Stanford and No. 20 California. Even so, the Bruins went a perfect 9-0 in conference last season en route to their fifth consecutive Pac-10 title.

For this Bruin team, another conference championship is a necessary stepping stone to their ultimate goal ““ a national championship.

“We’re taking every step to get to that national championship,” junior forward Lauren Cheney said. “Winning the Pac-10 is just a start. It’s always our first goal before we can move on to the bigger picture.”

GOOSE EGGS: With their 3-0 blanking of the University of San Diego on Sunday, the Bruins extended their team-record shutout streak to 10 games. UCLA hasn’t allowed a goal since its 2-1 win over UC Santa Barbara to open the season.

“I think this year we’ve been really determined and focused,” senior defender Erin Hardy said. “We really want to win. Preseason, it started from there. (Coach) B.J. (Snow) works with the defense a lot, with the back four. We just take pride in our defense.”

Ellis attributes the success to team defense.

“It has to be a team effort,” Ellis said. “I think our back line and (goalkeeper) Ashley (Thompson) have done exceptionally well, but the players in front of them have to do their job.”

Hardy sees the key as just having fun.

“We want to just get the ball down and play soccer, which is kind of different this year,” she said.

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