A high-powered offensive attack only grew stronger this week for the No. 8 UCLA women’s soccer team with the return of Kara Lang, and the addition couldn’t have come at a better time as the Bruins (4-2-1) face No. 2 Portland (7-1) tonight.
Forwards Danesha Adams and Lauren Cheney will be joined by redshirt sophomore Lang, who will be playing in her first NCAA game since the 2005 NCAA Final, a 4-0 loss to the Pilots.
“I’m excited to be back and playing with the team,” Lang said. “I’m really lucky to be back for such a big game and I’m glad I get to be a part of it.”
The second-highest scorer during her freshman season, Lang was forced to sit out the entire 2006 season after tearing her ACL. She then missed the first seven games of this season to join the Canadian national team at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in China, contributing to a 1-1-1 record, though her team failed to make it out of group play.
Lang’s return to the Bruins will also create more opportunities for junior Christina DiMartino, the leader in Pac-10 assists, as she will drop back to the midfield after having filled the hole in the lineup at forward.
“It gives us another potent attacking option up top,” coach Jill Ellis said. “It’s great to have her back, even though it’s only been a few days, because of all the intangibles that she brings to the team.”
Though the Bruins fell just short of an NCAA Championship in 2005 at the hands of the Pilots, they were able to avenge the loss last season in the NCAA Quarterfinals with a 2-1 win to earn a berth in the Final Four.
And the task for Portland won’t be any easier this season as they will be attempting to shatter a perfect home record that spans almost two complete seasons. At the same time, however, the Pilots are the highest-ranked team to come into Drake Stadium in almost five years, when then-No. 2 Stanford topped UCLA by a 1-0 score.
The Pilots’ record doesn’t faze the Bruins by any means, as it only adds more motivation to capture a win before they head into a tough conference schedule.
“It’s our first real big game to challenge ourselves before Pac-10,” sophomore defender Lauren Wilmoth said. “They’re a great team and it’s going to be exciting to see how we do.”
The more seasoned players have tried to underline the importance of this match to newer players, and the entire team is looking forward to facing off against Portland.
And if things go UCLA’s way tonight, it could lead to an extra boost in confidence before the team takes on No. 1 Santa Clara next week, as well as through the rest of the season.
“It could turn into the big turning point of the season if we handle it properly; we’re up for the challenge,” Lang said. “I’m not going to forget how it felt not to win (in 2005), but it can still be motivation to make it to the Final Four this year and win it.”