The Bruins will face the Tar Heels in the Elite Eight – but Amanda Cromwell said the level of play will be higher than a typical fourth-round match.
“Both teams, you can make an argument, are two of the hottest teams in the Elite Eight, so I think it’s going to be a Final Four type matchup,” the coach said.
No. 2-seeded UCLA women’s soccer (17-3-1) will spend Thanksgiving in Cary, North Carolina, where it will play No. 1-seeded North Carolina (20-3-1) at WakeMed Soccer Park for a spot in the College Cup final.
The Bruins have the highest scoring margin through the first three rounds of the NCAA tournament, defeating their opponents by a combined score of 15-0.
Sophomore forward Ashley Sanchez has logged six assists in the first three matches – the most single-tournament assists in school history.
“To win three games 5-0 in the beginning of the tournament is huge for us,” Sanchez said. “I think we are going to build off of that and go to UNC with a lot of confidence.”
The Tar Heels’ 11-1 scoring margin in the tournament is the next best among the remaining teams, but redshirt junior midfielder Chloe Castaneda said the Bruins have an advantage, as their goals this season have come from 15 different players.
“I think one of the things that we have – besides the four more goals than they have – is the number of goal-scorers we have, and the people on our team’s ability to set each other up and not be selfish with the ball,” Castaneda said.
UCLA boasts the longest running winning streak in the tournament – with 12 consecutive wins – and is the national leader in goals and points, with 59 and 178 respectively. UNC ranks fifth in goals with 54 and second in points with 177.
Cromwell said the Tar Heels’ offense will pose different threats to the Bruin defense than previous teams have.
“(UNC) plays a little bit of a different style than the teams we’ve been playing the first three games – they have more weapons in the attack,” Cromwell said. “They do a lot of early services as well, so we have to be aware of that, and flicks (to) runs off the ball.”
The Tar Heels have historically been successful in the postseason, qualifying for every NCAA tournament since the first in 1982, and posting a .899 all-time tournament record.
UNC has won 22 out of the 36 NCAA championships – but UCLA has had more recent success, with a second-place finish last season and a championship in 2013.
“(The Tar Heels) have a lot of history behind them, but so does UCLA,” Cromwell said. “I don’t think we necessarily think about the past as much as what’s going on right now. We are going into the Elite Eight, to North Carolina, it’s our place to win, so it’s good to raise our level.”