When the No. 3 UCLA women’s soccer team touches down in Texas this week to take on Houston and the University of Texas, it will be the beginning of a season in which the team’s primary goal is bringing a national championship to Westwood after falling just short a year ago.
“It’s the expectation of the program and players to play at a high level and compete for a national championship and conference championship,” UCLA coach Jill Ellis said. “I think that’s the expectation of every student-athlete that comes to UCLA, and it’s no different for us.”
Ellis, who is entering her ninth season as the Bruins’ coach, looks to guide her team to a record fifth consecutive Pac-10 conference title and a berth in its fifth straight College Cup.
The Bruins, who return nine starters from last season’s squad, also boast the top recruiting class in the nation, headlined by Lauren Barnes, the No. 2 recruit in the 2007 high school graduating class. Barnes teamed with UCLA sophomore Lauren Wilmoth at the Pan-American Games this summer to represent the United States.
“She attacks well, and she’s a hard-worker,” Wilmoth said of Barnes. “I think she’s going to do a good job of helping us keep the ball out of the back.”
It isn’t just Barnes who has proven that she can compete at the collegiate level with success. According to Wilmoth, she feels this year’s freshman class has done a good job of dealing with three-a-days and a new fitness testing program that the players must go through.
Also looking to play for the Bruins in the back is junior Catherine Calvert, who started 20 of 25 matches last season as a defender and midfielder.
Calvert echoed the general sentiment and attitude of the team, as she feels the Bruins are capable of making a championship run if she and her teammates can continue to play with the intensity and effort that she has seen during the preseason thus far.
“With the group we have, if everyone does their best, we’ll do very well this season,” she said. “It comes to you when you work hard.”
With one of the premier offensive attacks in the nation with three M.A.C. Hermann Trophy candidates and All-Americans ““ Danesha Adams, Lauren Cheney, and Christina DiMartino ““ UCLA will be sure to keep its opponents alert and busy.
But before the Bruins get too far ahead of themselves, Ellis and her team understand that they will have to focus on their own preparation before paying too much attention to their opposition.
“We’re going to spend a lot of time this season focusing on ourselves and preparing for what we need to do,” Ellis said. “I think if we can do that, things will come together very well and we’ll have a good season.”
In order to get the season started on the right foot, UCLA will be looking to return from Texas with a pair of victories before hosting the UCLA Women’s Cup, where the Bruins will take on Illinois and the University of San Francisco.
And though the Bruins don’t know much about the Houston team they’ll be taking on, they feel they are prepared ““ not only for that game, but for the game against Texas as well.
“I know that they’re both good, and it’ll be a challenge no matter who we play,” Wilmoth said. “If we do our job and we do as well as we do in practice, we should come back with some wins.”