Incoming Bruins
UCLA signed four players from California to letters of intent on
Wednesday.
Jill Oaks (West Hills/Harvard-Westlake HS), Stacy Lindstrom
(Laguna Niguel/Aliso Niguel HS), Allie True (Alamo/Monte Vista HS)
and Katie Rivera (Mission Viejo/Santa Margarita Catholic HS) will
be able to compete as Bruins in 2002.
All four players have represented the U.S. at the Youth National
Team level.
“Player for player I would rate this class among the best
in the country,” head coach Jillian Ellis said in a
statement. “It’s a group of players with a lot of
experience and they will no doubt make an immediate impact on our
program. I’m extremely excited on their choices to attend
UCLA.”
2 Bruins chosen in WUSA Draft
Former UCLA soccer players Mary-Frances Monroe and Stephanie
Rigamat were selected Monday in the Women’s United Soccer
Association (WUSA) Draft.
Monroe, who transferred to UCLA from Connecticut for her senior
year, was taken 13th overall by the Philadelphia Charge. During her
senior year, she led the 2001 Bruins in shots and game-winning
goals while providing a constant source of energy on the Bruin
front line.
The Washington Freedom selected Rigamat with the 18th overall
pick in the third round. She earned second-team All-American honors
after she led the team in goals with 13.
Like Monroe, Rigamat transferred to UCLA. She played two seasons
at UC Irvine and two here in Westwood, keying the 2000
Bruins’ improbable run to the national championship game
against North Carolina.
Monroe and Rigamat join seven other Bruins in the WUSA, an
eight-team league that began play last year and features a bevy of
teams with singular-noun nicknames like the Carolina Courage, New
York Power and Atlanta Beat.
Rigamat will play alongside former Bruins Skylar Little and
Tracey Milburn on the Freedom.
The Bay Area ““ now San Jose ““ Cyber Rays won the
league’s inaugural title.
Washington missed the playoffs last season, while Philadelphia
eked out a berth by finishing fourth.
Team USA women’s soccer stars Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain
headline the league, which was spawned in large part due to the
American victory in the 1999 Women’s World Cup.
Compiled by Jeff Agase and Diamond Leung, Daily Bruin Senior
Staff.