In UCLA’s upcoming match against UC Irvine, the biggest
challenge for the Bruins will be mental. The Bruins are in the
middle of a crucial series of Pac-10 games and will take a break
from conference play to face the lowly Anteaters (6-8-0) Saturday
night. What UCLA is trying to avoid is a mental lapse. “It
will test the focus of the team,” freshman forward Kamani
Hill said. “We have had four straight games against four
ranked opponents. They’ve been big-time games, and Irvine is
not as serious of an opponent.” Those four straight games
were the impressive back-to-back sweeps against Stanford and
California that ultimately catapulted the Bruins to No. 6 in the
nation. With a game against Washington, the only conference team to
have beaten UCLA this season, just over one week away, Hill and the
Bruins seem to be focusing their attention on the conference leader
rather than the Anteaters. “It doesn’t hold the same
interest for us as the game against Washington,” said Hill,
referring to Saturday’s game. “In the middle of the
season, it is hard for us to get excited for (the Irvine
game).” But if anything, the Bruins can use this match at
Anteater Stadium as a tune-up for the coming weeks. The offense
came alive last weekend when sophomore Chad Barrett emphatically
ended his offensive slump with two goals and an assist. Meanwhile,
the defense has maintained a solid 0.88 goals scored against
average. With everything clicking, the Bruins (9-2-2, Pac-10 5-1-0)
have their sights set much higher than just a Pac-10 title. They
want the national championship. “If we lost to Irvine, it is
still going to affect us and our ranking going into the
playoffs,” senior defender Aaron Lopez said.
“That’s what we’re really concerned about.”
“We realize what’s at stake in games like this,”
coach Jorge Salcedo added. “Through our hard work we have the
opportunity to be the No. 1 team in the West. We have to win the
last five games on our schedule.” The Bruins have the
overwhelming edge going into the game, leading the overall series
13-2, but the Anteaters have shown that they enjoy playing the role
of spoiler. Irvine beat then-No. 2 Santa Barbara last weekend and
defeated then-No. 20 Portland earlier in the season. But, coupled
with these impressive wins have been losses to teams such as UC
Riverside. “They have everything to gain and we have
everything to lose,” Salcedo said. “But our destiny is
up to us.”
BROTHERS FACE OFF: Junior midfielder Ramon
Manak will be seeing a familiar face when he looks at his opponents
this weekend. His brother Damon Manak, who is in his first season
with the Anteaters, is a defender for Irvine. Both brothers have
recorded one goal this season.