When the UCLA women’s soccer team stepped onto Drake Stadium to open NCAA Tournament play last Saturday, first round jitters found their way into the Bruins’ first-half play.
Now that the Bruins (16-1-3) have gotten all those initial postseason nerves out of their system, come tonight, the team can focus on getting a quick start against San Diego (12-7-1).
“The first game, we had to get rid of all the nerves,” said junior midfielder Zakiya Bywaters.
“I think in the second game, we know what to expect so hopefully we come out stronger and more prepared mentally.”
Getting ahead on the scoreboard will be crucial for UCLA, especially since the team has occasionally struggled to score goals throughout the season.
“We just need to focus and get some balls in the back of the net,” said freshman midfielder Samantha Mewis.
“I think that we have all the tools, and I hope we can put it all together.”
After slipping past UC Irvine on penalty kicks last Friday, the Toreros face the Bruins for the fifth time in the NCAA Tournament.
UCLA has won in all past four postseason appearances against San Diego.
As the No. 2 seed in their division and the host of today’s game, the Bruins are favored to win against the Toreros.
That does not mean much to the team, which has been using this past week of practice to fine-tune its play.
“Our focus this week is refining the details of the game that I thought we let slip (last) Saturday night,” said coach B.J. Snow. “We were sloppy a little bit when it came to the detail.”
“It is about getting back into the game swing. Everything from restarts to our ball possession to our refinement inside the final third, those types of things are the details that decide the game. If you lose focus on those things, that is when teams do not win championships.”
The Bruins know that a momentary lapse in concentration during today’s game could lead to the goal that ends their tournament hopes.
Bywaters believes that the key to preventing a defensive meltdown against San Diego will be to keep the back line cohesive.
“Defensively we need to stay together as a team and remember all the formations and have good movement off the ball,” she said.
“It is just about sticking to the game plan that we have been working on this week.”
Should UCLA defeat San Diego, it would advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Bruins would also play again on Sunday at home against the winner of Miami v. Long Beach State, a game that will also take place at Drake Stadium today.
In last year’s tournament, UCLA was eliminated in the round of 16, losing to Stanford 3-0.