Women’s soccer looks to continue winning records with young team

Just two seasons after being appointed coach of UCLA’s women’s soccer team, Amanda Cromwell has set a strong standard of winning for the Bruins.

In her first season as coach in 2013, the Virginia native helped bring UCLA its first national championship in women’s soccer, in an unforgettable 1-0 golden-goal victory against Florida State. Last season, Cromwell coached the Bruins to their second-straight Pac-12 title, and reached the NCAA quarterfinals before losing to her alma mater, the University of Virginia Cavaliers.

After boasting an impressive 22-1-2 record last season, this year’s women’s squad loses nine starters from the previous year, six of whom were selected in the first two rounds of this year’s National Women’s Soccer League draft. Despite its youth, this year’s women’s team is still ranked No. 4 in the NSCAA coaches rankings.

Practice started Wednesday and already the team has been scrimmaging. Cromwell said she hopes to fill the defensive gaps that were opened when all their starting defenders and goalie graduated by the time the regular season starts in late August. She expects their upcoming exhibition match with Missouri will help give a better picture of that defensive gap.

“We’ve been working on the defensive component since we graduated our entire back line and keeper,” Cromwell said. “You have to fill in some gaps obviously with graduating so many seniors. The scrimmage against Missouri is going to expose us and we want that; I’m really excited to see where we are and get better.”

Cromwell spoke highly of junior midfielder Annie Alvarado, a player she believes will play an integral part in leading the Bruins to success this season. After her failed clearance which led to the second goal of last year’s quarterfinal match against UVA, Alvarado is looking for this season to be a redemptive one. A returning starter and team captain, the junior stated how rigorously she and her teammates have been training this offseason.

“As a team we’ve been working really hard this summer,” Alvarado said. “I was playing in a summer league with some of my fellow teammates – (junior forward) Darian Jenkins, (senior forward) Kodi Lavrusky, (junior midfielder) Lauren Kaskie and (redshirt sophomore defender) Zoey Goralski. We’re doing that to keep our fitness up,” Alvarado said. “Our summer team actually made it to the national championships in Oklahoma and lost, which was a bummer, but it was a great experience.”

Cromwell noted that despite losing so many players, her team is still full of talent and experience. In addition to Alvarado, the roster features a handful of returning players, including U.S. Under-23 National Team member and senior forward Taylor Smith, who ties for second in most goals scored in the last two seasons at 17, 2014 Soccer America All-Freshman first-team selection Goralski, and 2013 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Jenkins.

“You know a lot of universities are counting us down, but a lot of these girls have been working and waiting their turn, so believe me they’re ready to go,” Cromwell said. “Jenkins and (Lavrusky) also started last year and they give us a huge chunk of veteran leadership. Players like junior midfielder Gabbi Miranda and Kaskie who are national team players but haven’t seen a lot of minutes for us because of who they’re playing behind should have a huge impact for us.”

Cromwell also mentioned the arrival of junior forward Amber Munerlyn to the squad, a North Carolina transfer who she believes could fit in nicely for the Bruins.

Looking to continue their tradition of winning, the Bruins will play their first home game at Drake Stadium on Aug. 30 against No. 14 Wisconsin, the first of three consecutive nonconference opponents UCLA will host. Just five days after, the Bruins will get a chance to rematch the No. 2-ranked Virginia Cavaliers, in what will mark the beginning of what Cromwell calls “the hardest schedule in the country.”

Compiled by Vikram Sairam, Bruin Sports contributor.