The cap to the 2010 UCLA women’s soccer season flew off with quite the flair last weekend, with a seven-goal festival against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
But, as with any season still in its infant stages, the year remains a work in progress for No. 3 UCLA (2-1-0), which fended off No. 20 Wisconsin (0-2-1) 1-0 in the Wisconsin Tournament opener Friday before losing 1-0 to unranked Northwestern (2-0-1) on Sunday.
It was the first road test for a relatively untested team. After all, Sunday’s starting lineup featured just four players who started at least 10 games in 2009.
Nevertheless, coach Jillian Ellis said the Bruins’ potential wasn’t quite fulfilled.
“Against Cal Poly, we did some things tactically as far as our runs, movements and attacks that we didn’t see this weekend, and I challenged the players,” Ellis said. “It’s not about the opponent, it’s about what we’re prepared to bring to the table. What I told them was that moving forward, we’ve got to be mobile, and we’ve got to have a balance of runs. Overall, it’s about stepping up the intensity.”
In both matches, UCLA’s opponents came out attacking the net. Friday’s game marked the first UCLA-Wisconsin matchup, and the Badgers kick-started the introductions with a physicality that limited the Bruins to just one shot attempted in the first half.
“(Wisconsin) battled extremely hard and played with great spirit,” Ellis said. “They tackled hard, and I think it was a game where it took the first half for us to really get used to just the physical nature of the game.”
But UCLA made the necessary adjustments in the second half, generating eight shots to the two attempted by Wisconsin. The Bruins broke through in the 56th minute, when freshman midfielder Jenna Richmond scored her first collegiate goal from close range on an assist from senior defender Lauren Barnes.
“(Barnes) whipped the ball in from right outside (the box), and I came across the goal and volleyed it in,” Richmond said.
Richmond has had a stellar showing so far this season, coming in as the No. 1 recruit in the country.
“Jenna has been a real bright spot for our team,” Ellis said. “She plays with great vision and excellent passing and has stepped in right away.”
The Bruins were unable to find the net the rest of the weekend. Northwestern outshot UCLA 7-6 on Sunday, despite 10 corner kicks from the latter. The lone goal of the game came in the 54th minute when Wildcat forward Kate Allen fired a shot that went straight into the net.
It was the first upset loss that UCLA has suffered against an unranked team since 2006, when the Bruins lost 2-1 to Oregon in a double-overtime regular-season match.
“We didn’t move the ball the way we wanted to, and we weren’t connecting well on our passes,” redshirt junior goalkeeper Chante’ Sandiford said. “But as a team, we definitely came together and played better in the second half; we just came up short. We’re a young team, but I think that as the season goes on, we’re going to grow together and mature together. Good things are going to happen.”
The Bruins return home on Sunday, when they square off against Cal State Northridge.