All that stands between sophomore forward Bristyn Davis and her
goal are two more victories.
Davis, one of the most coveted high school players in the nation
two years ago, made the cross-country trek from her home in Locust
Valley, N.Y., to Los Angeles because she believed she could lead
the UCLA women’s soccer team to its first national
championship.
And now, as the 14th-seeded Bruins prepare to face
seventh-seeded Princeton in the NCAA semifinals today in Cary,
N.C., Davis stands on the precipice of realizing her dream.
“I came to UCLA because I believed that this was a place
where I could win a national championship,” Davis said.
“There were other places that I could have gone that have
already won one, but I wanted to be the one that would make history
and would make a difference.”
The opportunity to be a part of the first championship team in
UCLA history is what led many of the Bruins to Westwood.
Davis turned down perennial title contenders Santa Clara and
Penn State to come to UCLA. Midfielder Jill Oakes, the consensus
No. 1 recruit in the country three years ago, spurned all of the
nation’s best programs including 17-time national champion
North Carolina.
“When I recruited most of these kids, I talked about
winning a national championship,” UCLA women’s soccer
coach Jill Ellis said. “We sign players that want to work for
that. It’s always on their minds. It’s always on my
mind. It’s why we do what we do. We want to win the big
prize.”
That first title has been elusive for the Bruins over the years.
UCLA (17-6), which has advanced to at least the third round of the
NCAA Tournament six consecutive seasons, has fallen to North
Carolina in each of its previous two Final Four appearances.
The Tar Heels overcame a one-goal deficit to beat the Bruins 2-1
in the championship game in 2000. Then last year a pair of
goalkeeping miscues by UCLA helped spark North Carolina to a 3-0
victory in the NCAA semifinals.
“This year is my last hurrah, so I want to leave a
legacy,” said senior forward Lindsay Greco, the only Bruin
who has been a member of all three Final Four teams. “I want
to leave here being part of the first UCLA team to win a
championship, and I think we have the potential to do
it.”
To accomplish their goal, the Bruins will first have to get past
Princeton (19-2-3), which is in the midst of a magical season. The
Tigers, who have never advanced past the second round of the
playoffs, are the first Ivy League team ever to reach the Final
Four.
Should UCLA defeat Princeton, it would face the winner of
Friday’s second semifinal between fourth-seeded Notre Dame
and 16th-seeded Santa Clara in Sunday’s championship
game.
“We definitely have our eyes on the championship,”
Oakes said. “Being in the Final Four, we know what to expect
“”mdash; the hype that comes with it, the pressure, and how to deal
with it. We’re trying to pass that along to the new faces on
this team. We’re trying to comfort them, and lead them
through it.”
At times, this certainly didn’t appear to be the year that
the Bruins would end their championship drought. UCLA, which has
played without six key contributors from last year’s team due
to graduation or national team duty, lost more regular season games
this season than it ever had before under Ellis.
“I’ve never lost this many games during the
season,” Greco said. “But that’s what makes this
team special. We’ve gone through our ups and downs, and we
are still going to the Final Four. It helped make us stronger, and
it helped us grow as a team.”
That much has been clear in the postseason.
UCLA, which advanced to the College Cup with a 1-0 victory at
Ohio State this past Saturday, has not allowed a goal in four
playoff matches.
Goalkeeper Valerie Henderson has been flawless, the UCLA
backline has been steady, and freshman Danesha Adams has provided
an offensive spark.
“I think this is the team that is supposed to win
it,” Davis said. “Everyone thought this would be our
rebuilding year, and we’re back in the Final Four. Everything
possible that could go bad has already happened, so we’re
ready for anything.”
Including, perhaps, a shot at UCLA’s first-ever
championship.