CARY, N.C. “”mdash; North Carolina coach Anson Dorrance is
arguably the most successful coach in the history of sports. His
Tar Heels have won 18 of 23 national championships awarded in
women’s soccer, and his all-time coaching record currently
stands at 559-25-15. On Friday, Dorrance masterminded a plan that
shut down the UCLA offense, holding it to a season-low five shots
on goal. The semifinal game was the first time the Bruins had been
outshot all season. “We can’t play a game against
(UCLA) in our penalty box,” Dorrance said. “We tried to
keep a very high restraining line. “The only opportunities we
wanted to give them was if they could time a perfect run through
our back three and run onto it and finish it, then we were going to
tip our hats to them and congratulate them,” he said. As it
happened, no hat-tipping was necessary, because Carolina’s
three defenders ““ Cat Reddick, Kendall Fletcher and Carmen
Watley ““ continued to push forward and maintain the
restraining line Dorrance spoke of. Reddick, a senior and the
team’s primary leader, didn’t play in the game when
UCLA met North Carolina on Sept. 19. She was fulfilling commitments
with the U.S. National Team in the World Cup. Watley, also a
senior, played a solid match, and Fletcher scored the team’s
first goal. “We wanted to try to present them a different
avenue, and that was very effective,” Dorrance said.
“The game was played on our terms because of the risks we
took. The risk is to have those flat three right on the edge and to
be pushing forward at every opportunity.” Tar Heel goalkeeper
Aly Winget had to make only one save all afternoon, on a shot from
Lindsay Greco in the first half. “I think they caught us
off-guard a little bit,” Greco said. “They definitely
held most of the possession.”
CHALK UP ANOTHER: Through the years, UCLA has
made a habit of taking heartbreaking exits from the post-season
tournament. In 2000, the Bruins lost the final to North Carolina
after leading the game 1-0. In 2001, UCLA lost in the quarterfinals
to Florida, despite out-shooting the Gators 28-8. In 2002, Texas
A&M defeated the Bruins in the Round of 16 without recording a
shot on goal. And then there was this year. So where does
Friday’s loss stack up in the course of history? “They
all pretty much stink,” Ellis said. “But this was more
difficult because we made a couple of significant mistakes and it
cost us.”
DOMINANCE EXPLAINED: In the after-game press
conference, Reddick explained what made her team so successful.
“You work hard and you dedicate your life to this
game,” she said. “And you reach a certain point when
you just have to put everything on the line. When you play with
this team, everybody puts everything on the line for each other,
and that’s the coolest thing about playing with this team.
It’s a very special feeling.” Reddick won a
championship with North Carolina in 2000, when the Tar Heels came
from behind to defeat UCLA 2-1 in the College Cup final. Her team
was ousted from the playoffs by Santa Clara in 2001 and 2002.
A TEARFUL END: Six Bruin seniors ended their
UCLA careers Friday with the final whistle. Sarah-Gayle Swanson,
Katherine Bjazevich, Nandi Pryce, Whitney Jones, Kathryn Lee and
Jaclyn Harwood, one of the team’s injured goalkeepers, will
never again don a Bruin soccer jersey. Look for more coverage of
the Bruin seniors, who comprise Ellis’ first recruiting class
as head coach, in January.