Monday, November 4, 1996
W. SOCCER:
With win over UCLA, Stanford clinches Pac-10 titleBy Brad
Zucker
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The setting was perfect for an upset.
The T.V. cameras were out (the game will be shown on the Fox
Sports Network on Tuesday at 9 a.m.), the stands of Spaulding Field
were filled with Bruin faithfuls, and the field was lined with
little kids who dreamed of someday playing big-time college
soccer.
And yet, the Stanford Cardinals (10-7-0, 5-0-0 Pac-10) were
ultimately able to hold off a determined UCLA squad in the final
overtime to clinch the Pac-10 title.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game," Stanford women’s
soccer coach Steve Swanson said.
"You have to give UCLA a lot of credit. They fought really
hard."
The Bruins (11-7-1, 4-3-0) ran head on into The Big Red Machine
for 77 minutes before their efforts paid off.
After Stanford’s Emily Burt scored a wide-open goal in the ninth
minute, neither team put the ball in the net until late in the
second half.
UCLA finally caught a break when Sarah Connell scored from
point-blank range after Traci Arkenberg and Shannon Thomas
coordinated an amazing team assist.
In the play, Arkenberg sent a floater into the box, which in
turned was headed by Thomas to the waiting Connell.
Swanson, however, saw the Bruin goal as a psychological boost
for his team.
"It’s weird, but it actually picked us up when they scored,"
Swanson said.
Indeed, the Cardinals stepped up their play during the overtime.
At the 101st minute, Erin Martin knocked in a hard roller past
Bruin goalkeeper Lindsay Culp for a goal that would ultimately turn
out to be the game-winner in Stanford’s 2-1 victory.
The Cardinal defense ensured the victory, keeping a lid on the
UCLA attack for the remainder of the game.
* * *
Sunday’s contest marked the final appearance for Bruin veteran
players Mari Meinhart and Sue Skenderian.
The two seniors rank one and two, respectively, in career games
played for UCLA.
Following the game, an exhausted Meinhart had trouble fighting
back the tears.
"We played real hard," she said. "We just really wanted to
win."
WYNN RUJIRAVIRIYAPINYO
Tiffany Brown (#8) put forth a great effort in Friday’s game
against OSU.