Now that the women’s soccer team is finally getting
healthy, coach Jill Ellis has been able to settle on a consistent
starting lineup. The Bruins, who started a different lineup each of
their first 10 games of the season, began both games last weekend
with the same 11 players on the field. Ellis has also used two or
fewer substitutions in three of UCLA’s last four games.
“In soccer, when you are playing well, you don’t sub
just to sub,” Ellis said. “If someone is playing well,
we want to keep them in the whole game.” Ellis said she has
not been using many substitutions partly because she has been happy
with the team’s play aside from its loss to Cal on Sunday,
and partly because she doesn’t have any other choice. UCLA
(11-5, 4-2 Pac-10), which routinely used five or six substitutions
per game last season, is not nearly as deep this year. Earlier this
season, Ellis did not have the luxury of starting the same players
week after week. Only six Bruins have started every game this year,
and the defense and midfield positions have constantly been in
flux. But now that the team is healthy again for the most part,
Ellis will be able to depend on her starting lineup and just a
handful of backups, including sophomore midfielder Caitlin Ursini
and freshman midfielder Alma Playle. Those two were the only
substitutes to play against the Bay Area schools last weekend.
“It’s the same team that beat Stanford, that beat
Washington,” Ellis said. “We don’t need to make
changes, we just need to find consistency.”
CRYSTAL SHINES: One player who has been given
an opportunity to play and has taken full advantage of it is junior
forward Crystal James. Not expected to start at the beginning of
the season, James is now a fixture in the UCLA starting lineup. She
has played in all 16 games for the Bruins this year, starting the
last eight consecutive games. Though Ursini returned from a wrist
injury last weekend, Ellis said James is likely to keep her
starting spot. “Her work rate is tremendous. Her distribution
has gotten much better and the ground she covers is
tremendous,” Ellis said. James already has a career high in
assists with six, despite being a sub for a good part of the first
half of the season.
RANKINGS REDUX: After splitting its two games
against the Bay Area schools last weekend, UCLA fell to No. 9 in
the national rankings. The Bruins are in second place in the
conference standings, sitting one-half game behind first place
Arizona State. UCLA will square off against the Sun Devils on
Friday in Tempe, Ariz.