The UCLA women’s soccer team knows its ultimate goal.
After reaching the College Cup in each of the last two seasons,
and losing in penalty kicks in the championship match last year,
the team feels as though there is one last step to take.
But as the No. 4 Bruins (19-1-2), the top seed in their
regional, prepare to host fourth-seeded Marquette Saturday night in
the third round of the NCAA tournament, they also realize that
it’s not the time to start looking ahead.
“There are moments when we have to stop ourselves from
idealizing our situation,” senior defender Jill Oakes said.
“It’s good that we have our eyes set on the biggest
prize, but we do have to stop and remember that it’s one step
at a time, one game at a time.”
And this particular game is not expected to be easy. No. 12
Marquette (19-3-1) has had its best season in the program’s
history, highlighted by a 4-1 victory over defending champion Notre
Dame back on Sept. 30. The Golden Eagles advanced to this third
round match-up with 1-0 victories over both Wisconsin and
Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
“They’re not here by coincidence or by fluke,”
UCLA coach Jill Ellis said. “They’re legit. It’s
going to be a good game.”
For Ellis, who won’t be on the sidelines Saturday after
receiving a red card in the Bruins’ second-round victory over
Colorado, looking past Marquette simply isn’t a concern.
“They’ve done this so many times,” said Ellis
of her team. “They know the ingredients, and they don’t
look at the finished product, so to speak.
“This is a team that’s been in this position before
and is able to recognize what’s important.”
While the Bruins boast veterans such as Oakes and senior forward
Iris Mora, who have been there time and time again, the team also
has four freshmen in its starting lineup who tasted NCAA tournament
play for the first time just last weekend.
“It’s pretty intense,” said freshman forward
Kara Lang, who tallied four goals in the Bruins’ first two
tournament matches. “Every game has so much meaning behind
it. You lose, and you’re done.”
Despite the fact that freshman starters Lang, midfielders
Christina DiMartino and McCall Zerboni, and defender Erin Hardy,
lack the tournament experience of some of their teammates, Ellis
feels completely confident in their ability to handle the
pressure.
In Lang’s case, she’s probably already experienced
more pressure on the soccer field than any tournament match this
season may present.
Lang, who at 15 became the youngest player ever to appear in a
match for the Canadian national team, played in all six matches for
Canada in the 2003 Women’s World Cup. Canada advanced all the
way to the third-place match in 2003.
“The NCAA Tournament is a high-pressure situation, and
that’s what I’m used to,” Lang said. “I
like being in this situation. It carries so much importance, just
like any international game. It’s a comfortable place for me
to be.”
From the look of things, Lang has become more and more
comfortable as the season has gone on. Forced to make the
adjustment to college and a different style of play, she has
certainly become an offensive force for the Bruins.
Lang has 13 goals and five assists in 20 matches this season for
UCLA. With her four postseason goals, she already ranks seventh
all-time on the Bruins’ career postseason scoring list.
“Part of it is just feeling comfortable,” Ellis
said. “Kara looks more comfortable, and when your comfort
level is high, that’s when you’re relaxed. When
you’re relaxed, that’s when you put away
chances.”
On Saturday, Marquette will look to create chances of its own
with its very direct three-forward formation.
Oakes said the Bruin defense, which has allowed just eight goals
all season, is up to the challenge.
Furthermore, each Bruin realizes that this is one more step in a
series of challenges, with the ultimate culmination of a
season’s worth of work still weeks away.
“Every time you step on the field from now on, the rest of
your season is at stake,” Lang said. “We definitely
want to go all the way, so that’s in the back of our minds
every time we play.”