By Michelle Coppolella
Daily Bruin Reporter
Living up to high preseason expectations in the face of hungry
competitors, the No. 2 UCLA women’s soccer team captured the Cal
State Fullerton Fila Classic tournament this weekend with wins over
No. 3 Portland and the University of Denver.
"We’re, as our coach says, being hunted," said junior midfielder
Tracey Winzen. "We’re not the hunters anymore and we have to bring
out our game against every team because everybody’s looking to beat
us."
And Saturday night’s highly anticipated rematch of last year’s
NCAA semifinal game between UCLA and Portland forced the Bruins to
do just that.
The match drew a crowd of more than 500 to Titan stadium, which
roared as chants from dedicated Portland supporters were evenly
matched by the Bruin eight-clap from the ever-present hometown
crowd.
But the Bruin offense quieted the crowd in the 31st minute when
senior forward Mary Frances Monroe launched a left-footed shot from
beyond the box into the upper right corner of the net, giving UCLA
a 1-0 lead.
A spectacular offensive match ensued during the second half,
with consistent pressure from Portland, which out-shot UCLA 6-5.
Bruin senior goalkeeper Cici Peterson was put to the test near the
65th minute of play when she made two incredible saves, including
one when Portland’s Christine Sinclair shot a rocket to the top of
the net and Peterson leaped to punch the ball just over the
crossbar, ensuring that UCLA maintained its lead for the rest of
the game.
"We put together a good first half, but the second half was kind
of humbling because we were definitely outplayed," UCLA head coach
Jillian Ellis said. "It was a good win, but it wasn’t pretty."
UCLA’s second game of the tournament Monday unleashed the Bruins
dominating offense as they went on to win 5-1 against the
University of Denver. In the 16th minute of play, senior forward
Stephanie Rigamat provided sophomore forward Lindsay Greco with a
beautiful header to put UCLA on top 1-0.
The goal spurred controversy throughout Portland’s sidelines
when it was speculated that the ball touched Rigamat’s hand,
bringing protest from Portland’s assistant coach who eventually
received a red card for unsportsmanlike conduct.
About 10 minutes later, Rigamat and Greco teamed up again when
an attempted header by Rigamat was followed up with a header by
Greco to put the Bruins up 2-0 before half time.
UCLA out-shot Denver 17-3 by the end of the first half, a number
that still left Ellis dissatisfied and longing for more from her
players.
"We talked about it at halftime and 17 shots bringing two
goals–that margin for error needs to be decreased," she said. "One
of our goals was to get 20 shots at the half and if you’re putting
out that many numbers, you should be scoring more goals than we
are."
The Bruin offense responded to Ellis’ concerns with a strong
second-half effort, outshooting the opposition 18-1. In the 74th
minute, Winzer headed in the Bruins’ third goal off a beautiful
cross by senior defender Bethany Bogart after UCLA was awarded an
indirect kick deep in Pioneer territory.
About five minutes later, senior midfielder Breana Boling
crossed the ball from the left side of the field to Rigamat, who
powered a shot into the left-hand corner of the goal, giving the
Bruins a 4-0 lead over the Pioneers.
But the Pioneers had life in them yet. With less than 10 minutes
remaining, a penalty kick was awarded to Denver after UCLA senior
defender Brittany Whalen clipped the heel of a Denver offender in
the penalty box. Denver’s Kristen Warren put the ball past Bruin
goalkeeper Jaclyn Harwood.
With five minutes remaining, UCLA quieted a revved-up Denver
crowd when Monroe took advantage of a short goal kick by the
Pioneers and laid the ball into the back of the net to give UCLA
the win with a final score of 5-1.
"We came out with two wins and I’m definitely pleased with
that," Ellis said. "But these games were a great mark in knowing
that we have a lot of work to do. We’ve definitely got room for
improvement."