For Zakiya Bywaters, the UCLA women’s soccer team’s 12 goals in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament was simply the Bruins making a statement.
“People are going to be coming after us because we’ve been in the Final Four for six or so years (in a row),” the freshman midfielder said. “But we’re just coming out to make a statement letting everybody know that we’re coming and we’re here to win it.”
Despite UCLA (19-2-1) scoring more than any other team in the postseason, coach Jill Ellis said she does not get caught up with statistics.
“At the end of the day, some days it goes for you, and some days it doesn’t,” she said. “Confidence ““ it’s a good feeling, and that different people are scoring ““ that’s a good feeling. But comparing, I never compare, so another team, another opponent, because it really is about the next game.”
Coming off lopsided victories over Boise State and San Diego State last weekend at Drake Stadium, the top-seeded Bruins host Virginia (10-5-6) tonight in the round of 16 of the tournament. Last week, the Cavaliers were on the victorious end of their own high-scoring affair, upsetting No. 9-seeded Penn State 6-2 in University Park, Pa.
“They’re a very strong opponent,” Ellis said. “They play in a good conference, got talent on the team. They’ll be a formidable opponent, and we’ll have to play very well against them to try and get results. We have the benefit of playing at home, which is good, but also their team has proven that they’ve had success in the tournament. They’ve gotten in every year.”
Bywaters said the Bruins have watched film on the Cavaliers to prepare for the match.
“They play a little bit different formation with their frontrunners, kind of similar to what (North Carolina) was playing,” she said. “They just really try get their ball to their forward runners and just run it in their backline with combination plays. … I think we’ll be able to handle it if we just come as a team, just play together and connect on our passes, just finish our goals.”
The Bruins hold a 3-1-1 all-time record against Virginia, having beat them twice in the postseason in as many matches. UCLA last faced the Cavaliers in a 2-1 overtime victory for the Bruins in Drake Stadium in the round of 16 in the 2007 playoffs.
“We know they’re a great team,” senior defender Dea Cook said. “It will be fun. It’s kind of getting closer to that time, the talent is increasing, who we come across. It will be fun for us to match up with them again, and hopefully we come out and play some good soccer.”
Cook added that the freshmen have stepped up in the postseason, and the Bruins will have to rely on their young players and bench to do well in the tournament.
“I know that with the tradition that UCLA holds and the standards that we hold our team to, (the freshmen have) done more than enough to do everything they can to meet (those standards) and to go beyond and push all of us,” she said.
Bywaters said that she and her fellow freshmen have been holding their own and doing what the coaches expect of them despite the increased intensity of postseason.
“It’s been pretty tough on some of the freshmen that do start. We just have to keep up with the game,” she said. “It is a little different transitioning from club soccer to college soccer, but I think we’re already used to it, and our coaches tell us now that we’re not freshmen anymore, we’ve already been in the system for this long.”
Ellis said that the Bruins will have to convert their scoring opportunities in order to be successful this weekend.
“We’re going to create scoring chances that we’re going to have to put away,” she said.
“Virginia has a good goalkeeper, but we’re going to finish our chances. Couple that with we have to be able to keep the ball and hopefully maintain possession. You got the ball, you got a chance.”