As if there weren’t enough challenges already, the UCLA women’s soccer team will have to make do with one more hurdle for the interim.
Junior forward Sydney Leroux has temporarily left the team after being invited to training camp for the full U.S. Women’s National Team in Kennesaw, Ga. She departed shortly after Sunday’s road match against the University of Colorado and has been with the National Team ever since.
Leroux is just one of 29 players competing for a roster spot for two matches against China on Oct. 2 and Oct. 6. She will miss at least the next two games against San Diego and Santa Clara, but could possibly also miss the Oct. 1 match against Pepperdine if she were to make the team .
Leroux’s departure means that the No. 11 Bruins (5-2-1) will be without arguably their most prolific scorer for the time being.
And although coach Jillian Ellis hasn’t yet finalized who will replace Leroux in the starting lineup, she does have some options to work with.
“In the past few games, we’ve been able to get a lot of our players in, and that’s going to pay off in situations where we have players either hurt or missing,” Ellis said. “Ahsha Smith is really starting to get back into her form that she was in prior to her injury (last season), so we have her as an option up front. And Jenna Richmond played as a forward in high school, so we’ve got some attacking options.”
“Now, having said that, Syd is an impact player for us, and we will have to have other players step up, but again, I feel good that we’ve had different players score over the past few games. Teams can’t focus just on one player for us.”
The absence of the junior forward certainly does raise personnel issues, but it has also brought to the forefront a need to elevate team mentality, especially so for a group that has so far struggled to close out the last of two games on weeks with matches on both Friday and Sunday.
Leroux currently leads the team in goals with six, after leading the Bruins in 2009 with a team-high 23 goals. The numbers speak to her offensive prowess, meaning her teammates will indeed have to pick up the slack with an assertive approach.
“From this past weekend and the things that happened, I think everybody in general wants to step up and be more aggressive,” junior midfielder Charney Burk said. “But with Sydney being gone, everybody wants to come out and bring it because we do have to fill her role.”
As impressive as an invitation to the Women’s National Team may be, one looming concern is the amount of soccer Leroux has taken on this year. Already, she has participated in the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Germany this summer, just before the start of the college soccer season.
Yet, Ellis is confident that Leroux will come through for the Bruins when the time comes.
“Obviously, being with the (Women’s National Team), that’s her priority and her focus, and when she comes back, we’ll deal with where she is,” Ellis said. “But the thing about Sydney is that she’s probably one of the most competitive kids that I’ve ever coached. Regardless of how she physically may feel, her mentality strength is very big.”
Lee Recovering
Sophomore defender Lucretia Lee was scrapped from the lineup on Sunday after she came down with a stomach virus. She has been practicing with the team this week and is likely to play in Friday’s match against San Diego.