With Stanford just two home wins away from an undefeated Pac-10
season, UCLA’s one loss is looking like it will be one too
many. The Bruins stand at 6-1 in the conference and No. 4 in the
nation coming into a weekend trip to Washington and Washington
State ““ not exactly your typical second-place team, but a
second-place team nonetheless. “What I said to them was that
if we can take care of two wins this weekend it will bode well in
the playoffs, as far as home field advantage goes,” UCLA head
coach Jillian Ellis said. The Bruins lost to Stanford 1-0 back on
Oct. 13 at Drake Stadium in a game that left UCLA players and
coaches clamoring for another shot at the top-ranked Cardinal. And
that’s why this weekend’s matches against the
Washington schools take on an appendix-like quality: They might go
by unnoticed ““ just like the human organ ““ unless, of
course, the Bruins should unexpectedly drop one of the games. In
that case, UCLA would probably lose its No. 2 (tied) ranking in the
West Region and any chance at ultimately hosting a quarterfinal
match once NCAA playoffs begin next week. “I think, if we get
wins, they might give us the nod over Pepperdine because
we’re used to hosting,” Ellis said. That
“if” isn’t just coachspeak. Ellis is genuinely
concerned about going in, getting business done, and leaving.
However, Washington may have an added home-field advantage, as
weather reports indicate a low of 46 degrees and a 70 percent
chance of rain in Seattle Friday night for the match against the
Huskies, who are 5-1 at home. Ellis said that she expects
Washington to be playing with a sense of heightened playoff
urgency, as a win against either UCLA or USC would greatly improve
the Huskies’ NCAA resume. Washington State is a surprising
4-1-2 in conference and has, in Ellis’ opinion, probably the
best team in its history. The Bruins kickoff in Pullman at 11:00
a.m. Sunday. Ңbull;Ӣbull;Ӣbull;
Junior defender Nandi Pryce was announced as one of 15 finalists
for the Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top player in NCAA
women’s soccer.