Come NCAA Tournament time, it’s easy to get
distracted.
It’s easy to start thinking about the tournament draw,
about future opponents, about things that are far outside the realm
of one’s own control.
That’s why, as the UCLA women’s soccer team prepares
to host Mississippi Valley State (10-7-2) at Drake Stadium on
Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, coach Jill Ellis
wants her team focused on one thing.
“A lot of our focus now needs to be on what we can do to
play as well as we can,” Ellis said. “That needs to be
UCLA’s focus.”
For UCLA (17-1-2), one of four No. 1 seeds in the tournament,
there are several things that could be potential distractions.
First, there’s the past. The Bruins have advanced to the
College Cup in each of the last two seasons, losing in the
semifinals to North Carolina in 2003 and falling in penalty kicks
to Notre Dame in last year’s championship.
But this is a new team with new personalities. Only the ultimate
goal, an NCAA Championship, is the same.
“Every year you’re committed,” Ellis said.
“That’s your goal. I don’t think that
you’re really thinking about last year, or that you’re
entitled to get back to the finals because you were so
close.”
The Bruins may also have to deal with the loss of starting
midfielder Caitlin Ursini, who suffered a knee injury, which could
be a torn ACL, in Tuesday’s practice.
Ursini, who has already suffered a torn ACL once in her career,
underwent an MRI on Wednesday, and the results will be available
today.
Ellis and the Bruins are hoping for the best, but they are also
preparing for the worst.
“It’s definitely more motivation to kill yourself
every time you go out there, because you know she’d do
anything to be out there with us,” junior midfielder Stacy
Lindstrom said. “She’d do anything to be able to touch
the ball again this year.”
Ellis said that Ursini is one of the most popular players on the
team, and the idea of losing her for the remainder of the season
hurts. But the Bruin coach is also confident that the rest of the
team would rally behind the loss.
“I’m certain that other players will step up,
certain that the players now will dedicate this a bit to
her,” Ellis said.
The injury, however, is another thing that is outside the
Bruins’ control.
Within their control is their play on the field, which certainly
showed flashes of brilliance last weekend in two hard-fought
victories over Arizona and Arizona State.
With those two victories, the Bruins were able to clinch their
third straight Pac-10 title.
“Whenever NCAAs roll around, we get excited, especially
after winning the Pac-10 for the third year in a row,”
Lindstrom said. “Everyone’s amped for this weekend,
especially hosting.”
If the Bruins are able to get past Mississippi Valley State on
Friday, they would play the winner of Friday’s match between
Colorado and UC Riverside on Sunday.
And so the road back to the College Cup begins Friday. Where it
ends, no one knows for certain.
The Bruins know where they would like it to end, of course.
“If we can play as good soccer as we can, we can compete
with anybody,” Ellis said.