Coach Jill Ellis is not quiet in her thoughts about the Pac-10.
“I think we have the best conference in the country,” she said.
The No. 3 UCLA women’s soccer team opens Pac-10 play this weekend at Drake Stadium, facing Arizona tonight and No. 20 Arizona State on Sunday.
“The actual Pac-10 season is always really exciting, you have something to live up to every year,” senior defender Dea Cook said. “Starting with the Arizonas will be good for us ““ they always come out physical and hard, and I think this week, we just really need to prepare for that aspect of things ““ getting mentally ready and physically ready for it.”
As the six-time defending Pac-10 champions, the Bruins return home to open conference play after a three-match road trip.
“We’re very excited to be home,” coach Jill Ellis said. “Playing at Drake Stadium we play well there. I think it’s a comfort level as well. … We’re looking forward to (tonight), we’re hoping for that we get a crowd and get results.”
The Bruins will be playing two very different opponents this weekend. While Arizona (3-7-1) has the worst non-conference record out of the Pac-10 teams, Arizona State (7-1-2) owns the third best non-conference record.
But for Ellis, there is no difference between either opponent, regardless of its record or personnel.
“The focus will be on ourselves and on our game and how we play,” she said. “But Arizona will give us a tremendous game as will Arizona State. … It’s Pac-10’s, there’s never a team in our conference that we overlook.”
More important for the Bruins is to focus on themselves instead of the caliber of their opponent.
“It’s about our team and we can be our worst enemy,” she said. “They may be different teams and they play differently, but if we don’t come out prepared, it will be a struggle for any game.”
The Bruins are entering this weekend with loads of momentum. Since the 7-2 season-opening loss to North Carolina on Aug. 22 and the 1-1 double overtime draw against San Diego a week later, the Bruins have won every game, riding a nine-game streak into conference play.
“We can’t dwell on the first game of the season, we just go and take things from it,” Ellis said. “We’re coming together as a team, we’re playing better soccer.”
Ellis added that injuries have limited the team, and some veteran players were unable to play in the last few matches.
“I also think some of the younger players have got valuable experience from that and they’ve done a great job for us,” Ellis said.
In addition to these set-backs, the season started out with what some might have thought would ding UCLA’s ego. Despite UCLA’s six-year Pac-10 title streak, the preseason poll named Stanford as the expected conference champion.
“It’s the same of last year,” Ellis said. “It motivates you, we don’t pay all our attention to preseason rankings and such because at the end of the day it’s about getting out, performing and doing the business, so I don’t think my team would have any idea what they’re picked to finish. It’s about getting results and who thinks what is kind of irrelevant.”
“I love that kind of motivation to kind of be seen as someone who is an underdog,” Cook said. “I think we can thrive off of that. I kind of get excited about it. It gives us something to work for every game.”