It looks like the perfect recipe for an upset.
Sandwiched between the grueling play of Pac-10 games, the No. 1
UCLA Bruins will face unranked New Mexico, a team that has played
well against ranked teams this year.
The Lobos are 0-4 against ranked teams this year, but they lost
three out of those four games by a margin of only one goal, and all
of those matches were on the road. Clearly, New Mexico has shown
the ability to give the Bruins a tough game at Drake Stadium.
“You know that happens sometimes when teams come here,
especially; we might take them lightly,” midfielder Taylor
Canel said. “Hopefully, we will get on track before the game,
and we’ll be focused.”
But coach Tom Fitzgerald vows to have his team focused on the
Lobos.
“We talked about it with our team all year,”
Fitzgerald said. “We have to come out and play the same and
respect our opponents.
Fitzgerald acknowledges that the Lobos are a concern and could
have a little extra motivation to beat the Bruins (8-1) and score a
huge upset.
“Well, they are a very good team; they made the NCAA
tournament last year,” Fitzgerald said. “We have to be
a little concerned about their ability to come in here and want to
beat the Bruins, especially since we’re No. 1.”
This past weekend, the Bruins played against Oregon State and
Washington, where midfielder Dru Hoshimiya played an integral role
in UCLA’s victories. Because of the grueling schedule,
another concern for the Bruins is possible fatigue after two
draining games.
To combat that concern, Fitzgerald canceled Monday’s
practice, a normal practice day, and cut 15 minutes from the
team’s normal practices on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Fatigue could be a bit of a factor but we have a lot of
depth on this team. If we see two or three guys struggling because
of fitness, we have some very good players on the bench,”
Fitzgerald said. “I don’t think it would be a concern
as much as it would be for other teams.”
The Bruins agree with their coach.
“We had Monday off, we will get our legs back,”
Canel said.
The Lobos are a solid defensive team, giving up only 16 goals in
10 games, but they have struggled offensively, scoring only 12.
Nine out of their 10 games have been either ties or decided by one
goal.
Sophomore forward Lance Watson leads New Mexico in scoring with
four goals and senior midfielder Stian Eriksen leads the Lobos with
two assists.