The two biggest games of the season so far? Not exactly.
The No. 1 UCLA soccer team is hosting two teams this weekend
that it defeated last year en route to the NCAA championship, Cal
and Stanford.
So why are these games not getting the hype they deserve?
Take a look at the standings. While the Bruins (3-0 Pac-10) have
romped to a 10-1 record overall, the Golden Bears (5-5-2, 1-1-1
Pac-10) and Cardinal (2-8-2, 0-3 Pac-10) have struggled
mightily.
Add that to the fact that Cal’s record is misleading due
to the fact that eight of its 12 games were at home, and they are
winless on the road.
But in spite of all the statistics indicating this should be an
easy weekend, the Bruins are firm in their assertions that they
will be tested.
“I think they are both difficult opponents, they are good
teams and they are conference games which makes them
important,” coach Tom Fitzgerald said.
That being said, Fitzgerald seems to be concerned a little more
about the championship runner-up Cardinal, worrying that their poor
record masks the fact that Stanford has played a tough
schedule.
“They have played the toughest schedule in the country and
to get in the postseason, they need some wins down the
stretch,” Fitzgerald said.
Overall, the Bruins want to make sure an upset does not happen,
and to keep the floundering Cardinal down.
“Without a doubt if we get a couple of goals it would put
us in a good position,” senior defender Leonard Griffin said.
“The longer we let them sit in the game, the more they think
they can play with us.”
Cal, too, is a young team hungry to get revenge on the squad
that knocked the Bears out of the third round of the NCAA
tournament. They can be dangerous if the Bruins take them
lightly.
“They are going to be excited just because we knocked them
out of the playoffs a little earlier than they wanted,”
Griffin said.
There is another motivating factor for the Bruins other than
keeping the Bears and Cardinal from regaining last year’s
form: cementing their position as Pac-10 champions.
“We’re in first place right now and if we win both
games this weekend, it would put us in real good position to clinch
the league.” Griffin said.
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UCLA senior forward Matt Taylor was selected to Soccer
America’s Team of the Week for games played Oct. 6-12. Taylor
scored the lone goal against New Mexico on Oct. 9 and chipped in
two goals in the 5-0 win over Oregon State last Saturday.