Just when it seemed that a 76th-minute goal by Virginia forward Shannon Foley would render meaningless the UCLA women’s soccer team’s perfect Pac-10 record, end its shot at winning the program’s first national title, and close out its 34-match home winning streak, two players booked the Bruins a spot in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
One player has made a habit of stepping up in the Tournament; the other has made a career out of turning in clutch performances.
Sophomores Kristina Larsen and Lauren Cheney scored a pair of late goals to lead the Bruins to a 2-1 come-from-behind overtime win in the round of 16, keeping their magical season alive. It was Larsen’s goal ““ her third in the Tournament ““ off an assist from Cheney in the 83rd minute that tied the game, and it was Cheney’s beautifully arching shot that won the game in the first overtime.
After Cheney’s shot sailed over the head of the leaping Virginia goalkeeper Chantel Jones, Cheney raised her arms in the cold late autumn air as the players rushed the field in relief.
“I was really happy the game was over,” Cheney said. “I mean, it was a tough game. The whole game was a battle, and I was really glad for it to be over and for us to get the win.”
Although Cheney’s season has been filled with critical goals, her game-winner had to be one of the most satisfying for the Bruins. The sophomore received the ball at the top of the box with her back to goal, turned to her left and fired a shot that looped over Jones’ outstretched hands.
“I saw her off her line a little,” Cheney said. “There was someone that made a run behind me but I felt confident with my shot, and thank God it went in.”
Before Larsen’s goal, coach Jill Ellis and Bruins found themselves in a situation that they have not been in many times this season: trailing an opponent.
“It was a brand-new position for us to be in,” Ellis said. “I just thought that (the team) showed incredible resilience. They kept believing. I mean, just to tie it up and then, obviously, to get the result is fantastic.”
The Bruins struggled for the majority of the game. Throughout the first half and much of the second, the Bruins were unable to generate much of a rhythm on offense. Players were not on the ends of passes. Too many times, Bruin forwards looked to take on the Cavalier defenders one-on-one, ending in negative results. And when opportunities did develop, miscommunication ended scoring threats.
“We kept talking about trying to go wide,” Ellis said. “In the first half, I think individually we tried to do too much as individuals. I thought that in the second half we did a better job of sharing the ball, trying to find each other, trying to create a little more width because they were very compact centrally and it was tough to get through there.”
When Virginia scored late in the game, it could have easily spelled the end for the Bruins. Yet, UCLA displayed an incredible sense of resilience and determination.
“(Our mentality was) “˜never give up,'” Larsen said. “They scored with (little time left) and all I knew was that our team was not going to let down. We have so much heart, we worked all year for this, we were not going to give up.”
The Bruins will host Portland on Friday in the quarterfinals, playing for a trip to the Final Four. And to many Bruin players, the latest win provides them a huge boost of confidence.
“It definitely prepares us,” defender Erin Hardy said. “Next game if we get down, we have this confidence that we won this game ““ huge confidence booster, and just that we fought it out and had heart, which is big because in the past that has been what was lacking.”