What No. 11 UCLA women’s soccer (6-2-0) lacked for much of last season has now become its foundation in 2016.
Miscommunication and the absence of veteran seniors disrupted the team’s chemistry on both sides of the field last year, foreshadowing the team’s struggles against top-tier teams like Stanford and Virginia.
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That hasn’t been the case this season.
“The difference between this year and last year with the team is we trust each other and are all playing with confidence,” said senior forward Darian Jenkins.
Although there are several new faces on the pitch, UCLA has survived a grueling nonconference schedule, coming out with a 2-2 record against teams currently ranked in the top 25. Through eight games, the Bruins have outscored their opponents by 11 goals.
“We aren’t even close to peaking,” Jenkins said. “We have so much more to improve on and we are doing great right now. I think we’re going to kick butt when we actually peak at the right time and I’m excited for it.”
When UCLA opens conference play Thursday against Arizona State (5-2-1), it won’t just attempt to make a statement to other opponents – it will try to reassert its dominance in the Pac-12. The Bruins finished last season 4-6-1 and owned a negative goal differential in conference play for the first time in more than a decade.
The substandard play from a year ago remains in players’ minds.
“Going through last year – I think we’ve learned from it,” said senior forward Amber Munerlyn. “The nonconference teams we played gave us a big time confidence boost and helped us find our identity and proved to us that we can (compete). Just knowing that is obviously something different than we had last year.”
The Bruins have flourished against the Sun Devils in the past, accumulating a 13-1-2 record since 2000, despite tying in their previous two matchups.
While Arizona State’s roster boasts a cadre of experienced players led by junior forward Jazmarie Mader and redshirt senior midfielder Lucy Lara, the biggest obstacle for UCLA could be its unfamiliarity with their style of play.
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“I haven’t seen them at all this year so I don’t really know how they are playing,” said coach Amanda Cromwell. “(We) just need to get a feel for them, kind of figure out our lineup and what formation we want to play.”
The Bruins finished strong in nonconference play behind a surging offense. They have already compiled more assists than all of last year and are four goals shy of equaling their total from 2015.
It stems from the rapport between not only the forwards but also the midfielders and defenders, who occasionally make their way into the opponents’ third on the attack.
“We are just connecting a lot more,” Jenkins said. “People aren’t just trying to go long by themselves and do all the work – lots of combination play in the final third. I think that’s what’s getting us all these goals.”