Once again, the No. 1 UCLA women’s soccer team did what it has become accustomed to doing over the course of the season.
The Bruins (16-1-2, 9-0 Pac-10) completed their sweep of the Pac-10 in dominating fashion, recording a 2-0 win over Washington State on Friday and a 3-0 victory against Washington two days later.
On Monday night, the Bruins were rewarded with a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. UCLA will play Cal State Fullerton at home in the first round Friday.
“It was a nice way to finish the conference season with two wins,” coach Jillian Ellis said. “We got two wins on the road, which was very important for us.”
With the pair of victories, the Bruins became only the third team in the history of the Pac-10 to go unbeaten in conference play, and also claimed a record-setting fifth consecutive conference title.
Heading into the weekend matches in Washington, Ellis and her squad were well aware of the challenges and obstacles they would have to deal with when taking on what Ellis considered to be two formidable opponents.
Not only would the Bruins have to battle the difficult weather but on Friday night they would have to do something that no other team had been able to do ““ beat Washington State (11-5-3, 4-4-1) on its home field.
“Going in, we knew we were facing two very reputable opponents,” Ellis said.
And although Washington (5-13-1, 2-6-1) was near the bottom of the Pac-10 for much of the year, the Huskies proved that they could compete with top teams Friday against USC, losing a close 2-1 battle.
Ellis wanted her team to establish more of a cushion.
Senior Danesha Adams responded to the request and put the Bruins up 2-0 within 11 minutes of the start of the game.
“Danesha has definitely upped her game,” Ellis said. “She’s playing very well and her confidence is there.”
Adams received a pass from sophomore Lauren Cheney in the third minute and took a shot from 15 yards out, beating Huskies goalkeeper Lizzy Showman to record the Bruins’ first goal.
Just under nine minutes later, junior midfielder Christina DiMartino found Adams again, and she connected from 12 yards out.
And just in case the Bruins needed a little more space for comfort, Cheney recorded her conference-leading 20th goal of the season in the 18th minute to give UCLA a 3-0 lead that would remain for the duration of the game.
Frustrated, Huskies defender Nikki Murray committed a hard foul against Cheney in the 25th minute, which provoked a reaction from the Bruin forward and eventually led to her ejection and a red card that will deem her ineligible for the first-round game of the NCAA Championships against Cal State Fullerton.
CHENEY NAMED PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Cheney was named Top Drawer Soccer’s National Player of the Year on Friday, and was one of five Bruins to receive accolades.
“It’s a great reflection of the kind of year she’s had,” Ellis said. “I think she’d be the first to say that it’s reflective of how the team has played, and she’d give most of the credit to the girls around her.”
Senior goalkeeper Valerie Henderson and freshman defender Lauren Barnes received third-team honors, while Adams and sophomore forward Kara Lang were honorable mention selections.