When some of the top women’s soccer recruits in the nation committed to UCLA last year, they wanted to win a national championship.
And they knew there would be a lot of pressure.
After helping UCLA secure 15 victories during the regular season, it is pretty clear that these freshmen are used to pressure.
Even if it is the NCAA Tournament.
“I think innately the girls come to UCLA because they want that pressure,” coach B.J Snow said. “This is why they come here: to play in big games, in tournament games and to play for championships.
“So the pressure is there, but that is expected for them. It is generally the teams that can deal with that pressure that have a lot of success,” Snow added.
For freshman midfielder Samantha Mewis, pressure has been a driving force behind the team all season long, something that the Bruins create to motivate themselves.
“I think the pressure comes mostly from ourselves because we hold such a high standard,” she said. “I think that is a good thing because we expect a lot from ourselves.”
A lot has been made about the Bruins’ success despite their inexperience, but Snow is quick to point out that many of these freshmen have had enough playing time in one season to qualify them as game-tested veterans.
“The freshmen are not freshmen anymore,” Snow said.
“They have been forced to grow up fast, and with all their experience that they have had before they got here, I think that has set them up for this stage.
“All season long, they have been very consistent and that is the important thing,” he added.
No priority for penalty kicks
Of all the NCAA Tournament first round games played last weekend, four of them went to penalty kicks, including San Diego’s victory over UC Irvine.
The Toreros emerged victories after converting all five of their penalty kicks.
Having played to three double overtime ties during their regular season, the Bruins are certainly no strangers to extra minutes.
A pressure-intensive penalty shootout, however, is uncharted territory for the team.
For Snow, the team’s inexperience when it comes to penalty kicks is the least of his concerns.
He prefers to ignore all talk of overtime and beyond in order to focus on winning the game in 90 minutes of play.
“We are not thinking about overtime or penalty kicks at this point,” Snow said. “We want to get ready for the game and our opponent. And that is it.”
Leroux in
Senior forward Sydney Leroux did not practice with the team last week because she was attending a U.S. Women’s National Team camp in Arizona.
Leroux returned for Saturday’s 1-0 win over New Mexico, and she will be competing with the Bruins for the remainder of the NCAA Tournament.
Compiled by Mansi Sheth, Bruin sports senior staff.