For the UCLA women’s soccer team, this Friday will mark the beginning of Pac-10 Conference play when it hosts the Washington schools.
And the team could not be more excited to get going.
“I think our conference is the best in the country,” coach Jill Ellis said. “I think it is the most competitive and has some of the best talent in the country. (The Pac-10), the ACC and the WCC are in the top. We had two teams in the Final Four last year, so you have to look at that. It’s a very challenging conference, but its good preparation for our postseason.”
Ellis has been around the block a few times and has coached in both the Big 10 and the ACC. Her claim isn’t without support, at least on paper.
The NSCAA/Adidas poll released Sept. 30 ranks three Pac-10 schools in the top six and four in the top 20. Every team in the Pac-10 will enter conference play this week with a winning record. And the conference boasts the defending national champions, USC.
“You ask any coach in our conference, and they’ll say you cannot overlook anybody,” Ellis said. “It’s cliche, but it’s so true with our conference. Every game is difficult.”
Among the most difficult opponents for UCLA will surely be their games against No. 5 USC, No. 6 Stanford and No. 20 California. Even so, the Bruins went a perfect 9-0 in conference last season en route to their fifth consecutive Pac-10 title.
For this Bruin team, another conference championship is a necessary stepping stone to their ultimate goal ““ a national championship.
“We’re taking every step to get to that national championship,” junior forward Lauren Cheney said. “Winning the Pac-10 is just a start. It’s always our first goal before we can move on to the bigger picture.”
GOOSE EGGS: With their 3-0 blanking of the University of San Diego on Sunday, the Bruins extended their team-record shutout streak to 10 games. UCLA hasn’t allowed a goal since its 2-1 win over UC Santa Barbara to open the season.
“I think this year we’ve been really determined and focused,” senior defender Erin Hardy said. “We really want to win. Preseason, it started from there. (Coach) B.J. (Snow) works with the defense a lot, with the back four. We just take pride in our defense.”
Ellis attributes the success to team defense.
“It has to be a team effort,” Ellis said. “I think our back line and (goalkeeper) Ashley (Thompson) have done exceptionally well, but the players in front of them have to do their job.”
Hardy sees the key as just having fun.
“We want to just get the ball down and play soccer, which is kind of different this year,” she said.