As if a double overtime match against Arizona State were not challenging enough, the UCLA women’s soccer team will again have to prove its mettle on the road against two quality Pac-10 opponents.
The No. 3 Bruins travel north to face No. 17 California today followed by another matinee match against No. 1 Stanford on Sunday afternoon.
Yet despite the buzz that may percolate around the latter of the two matches, one that pits two of the nation’s top three teams against one another, the Bruins (11-1-1, 2-0 Pac-10) are well aware that in order to come out successful in both matches, focus and poise are key.
“Certainly, these are going to be two games that will stretch us,” coach Jillian Ellis said. “But this weekend, we’re only talking about one game at a time.
“Cal is a top-20 team and always a solid opponent. So right now, our focus and energy is on Cal … and the players are in a good mindset; they’re hungry and ready to go.”
And through it all, with a conference title potentially on the line, the players remain confident in their own abilities, unfazed by the reputations of the upcoming opponents.
“I think that if we just play the way we know how to play, connect and have movement off the ball, we’ll be able to do well,” freshman midfielder Zakiya Bywaters said.
There also looms the crowd factor. Last season, Cal drew 2,324 fans to the match against the Bruins, while Stanford attracted 1,079.
“Mentally, the fans don’t affect us,” junior forward Liz Zadro said.”You just have to shut it out. … (The fans) will try and get into our heads, but we’ll be tough enough to ignore it.”
Coming into today’s match, Cal (8-3-1, 2-0 Pac-10) returns home after defeating Oregon and Oregon State on the road in its last two matches. Last season, the Bruins hosted the Bears and cruised to a 3-0 win.
Stanford (13-0, 2-0 Pac-10) has yet to taste defeat this season, thanks in large part to a high-octane offense that has scored 48 goals on the season. In fact, Stanford’s senior forward Kelley O’Hara recorded a hat trick in the Cardinal’s last game against Oregon.
The Bruins narrowly defeated the Cardinal 1-0 at home last year. Coming into that match, UCLA and Stanford were both undefeated with high expectations. The stakes involved in Sunday’s game figure to be no different.
With a win against Cal and another one against Stanford, UCLA would move up to the top spot in the Pac-10 standings, currently occupied by the Cardinal.
“Both (Cal and Stanford) play out of the 4-3-3 (formation), and both teams have a lot of strong personalities,” Ellis said. “But we will create chances, and if we can limit the number of chances that we give up, I think we can be successful.”