With chaos all around her and the season on the line, senior
Stacy Lindstrom stepped up to make the biggest play of the season.
With the second-seeded Bruins clinging to a one-goal lead in the
final minute of play, Lindstrom headed a free-kick attempt away
from the goal line to lift UCLA to a dramatic 3-2 victory over No.
3 Florida.
“It was definitely intense,” junior Danesha Adams
said. “We knew (Florida was) going to be a good team. They
were a great team; they never stopped, they never quit, they kept
going till the end. It was a great game for us because we fought
all the way through to the end, and we didn’t give up
either.”
With the win, UCLA (20-3) now advances to the national
quarterfinals for the fourth straight season, and will host
unseeded Portland on Friday night.
Florida (14-6-5) came into Drake Stadium unintimidated by the
highly ranked Bruins and took it to UCLA in the first half. The
Gators’ Ashlee Elliott scored just four minutes into the
match, as Florida took a quick 1-0 lead. UCLA would quickly erase
that deficit, however, when Florida was called for a hand ball in
the box in the eighth minute. Adams calmly slotted the ensuing
penalty kick past the keeper for her 12th goal of the season, tying
the game at 1-1.
“From the first five minutes it was crazy,” senior
Bristyn Davis said. “They got that first goal and it was a
gift for us to get the second goal to get us back in this game.
From then we just had to play really, really hard to beat
them.”
With Florida controlling the run of play in the first half, the
Bruins looked to make some adjustments at halftime. Whatever coach
Jill Ellis told the team must have worked, as UCLA came out of the
break on fire.
Freshman Lauren Cheney netted an impressive goal in the 51st
minute, spinning away from her defender before burying a shot from
20 yards out. The Bruins continued to dominate possession in the
second half, led by sophomore Christina DiMartino, whose runs
spread the Gator defense and created quality scoring opportunities
for her and her teammates. DiMartino scored a goal herself in the
66th minute, as she received a cross from Cheney and took a shot
that deflected off a Florida defender for a 3-1 lead.
The Gators were undeterred, however, and continued to press
forward. Stacy Bishop scored for Florida in the 88th minute to set
up Lindstrom’s heroics in the final seconds.
“I don’t really know what happened exactly, because
it was pure chaos,” Lindstrom said of the final seconds.
“(Florida) pushed everyone up and we had everyone back. It
was kind of like slow motion. Instinctually I went to the goal just
in case (the cross) went over (goalkeeper Valerie
Henderson’s) head.”
Lindstrom’s instincts saved the Bruins in a tough,
hard-fought game that fittingly went down to the wire.
“They were very athletic, and they gave us a lot of
problems,” Ellis said of the Gators. “It was just a
great match. Emotional. Both teams were just slugging it out; it
was fantastic.”
NOTES: The Bruins have won 20 games or more for
the fourth time in school history. They are unbeaten at home this
season (15-0) and have won 26 straight games at Drake Stadium. …
Cheney’s goal gives her 18 on the season, breaking Kara
Lang’s freshman scoring mark, set last season. … Adams has
taken every penalty kick for the Bruins this season except one. …
UCLA will get a rematch with Portland on Friday for the chance to
reach the Bruins’ fourth straight College Cup. UCLA’s
season ended last year with a loss to the Pilots, 4-0, in the NCAA
Championship game in College Station, Texas.