It may be hard to believe, but the toughest stretch of Pac-10 play may already be in hindsight for the UCLA women’s soccer team.
Having reached the tail end of its five-game home stand, UCLA played host to elite company last weekend, outplaying then-No. 16 Cal on Oct. 8 before unsuccessfully sparring two days later against a top-ranked Stanford team whose crisp passes and seamless movement proved to be too much.
Now, with packed bags and all, the No. 14 Bruins (8-4-1, 1-1 Pac-10) depart the familiar confines of Westwood for a weekend stay in the Evergreen state, first to take on Oregon (4-6-2, 0-1) today before facing Oregon State (9-1-1, 1-0) on Sunday.
Likely to be tucked in with the usual equipment, long sleeves and extra cleats for the road trip are the lessons learned by the 2-0 loss to the Cardinal.
“At times, we were overpassing in the final third (of the formation),” coach Jillian Ellis said, referring to the Stanford loss. “The final third of the field for us is an area where our passing needs to be better.”
When it comes to scoring, the opportunities have certainly been there; so far, the Bruins have averaged 16.3 shots per game. Yet despite the numerous attempts, the team currently generates just 1.77 goals per game, tied for 88th in the country.
“There’s a difference between shooting and finishing, and that’s where our players need to take a step forward,” Ellis said. “There are so many different components to finishing, and these players are often times used to a certain shot. All of that requires a slightly different technique, and that’s where we have to continue to work every day.”
For the duration of the season, the Bruins will have to go on polishing their techniques without freshman midfielder Chelsea Braun, who is out for the season after tearing the ACL and meniscus in her right knee in the 31st minute of play on Sunday.
“It’s tough,” said sophomore forward Ahsha Smith, who has in the past dealt with two knee injuries herself. “We had a rhythm going, and Chelsea had been playing really well. It puts a damper on the team.”
As for the matchups themselves, Oregon wields a scoring threat in senior forward Jen Stoltenberg, whose 77 career points are seven shy of the school record. Meanwhile, Oregon State has intact a three-game winning streak after defeating Oregon 3-2 on Oct. 8 in the annual Civil War match between the two teams.
“It’s always a challenge when we’re on the road,” senior midfielder Kylie Wright said. “But we’ll just field what’s thrown at us and take it one game at a time.”
A familiar face returns
Making an appearance in the bleachers in the Stanford match was former UCLA forward Lauren Cheney, who finished out her collegiate career last season as a four-time First Team All-American selection. After having just finished her rookie season with the Boston Breakers of the Women’s Professional Soccer league, Cheney has returned to UCLA to finish her degree.
“It was nice to cheer the team on and see the coaching staff again,” Cheney said. “They’re still such a huge part of my life, so it’s comfortable to be back here.”