Three proves magic number for Bruins

  PATIL ARMENIAN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Freshman defender
Kathryn Lee heads the ball out of the defensive
zone en route to UCLA’s 3-0 win. Women’s Soccer
UCLA d. Fresno State 3-0 UCLA d.
LMU 3-0

By Jeff Agase
Daily Bruin Contributor

These days, simply scoring against the UCLA women’s soccer
team is a daunting task.

The No. 5 Bruins (8-1) won their seventh and eighth consecutive
games this weekend, with a 3-0 shutout of Fresno State Friday night
at Spaulding Field and a 3-0 blanking at Loyola Marymount
Sunday.

UCLA came home Friday for the first time this season and did not
disappoint the Westwood faithful. The Bruins dominated the Bulldogs
in every facet of the game, with goalkeeper CiCi Peterson setting a
single-season school record with her fifth consecutive shutout.

Peterson acknowledged the accomplishment as she cradled the game
ball, but diverted the credit to the other 10 players on the
pitch.

“This is a team record,” she said. “I
can’t take all the credit for it. The defense has worked hard
and I haven’t had to do all that much.”

The Bruin net minder faced only two shots from a Fresno State
offense that was anemic at best. It was a sharp contrast to the
Bruin attack that controlled the ball for nearly three-fourths of
the game in the Bulldog zone, and brought the noise early and often
with 12 shots.

Stephanie Rigamat darted through a bewildered Bulldog defense to
hook a shot around the goalkeeper in the ninth minute for the
game’s first goal. Krista Boling came up from right defensive
back to score just over ten minutes later and give the Bruins a
comfortable two-goal lead.

  PATIL ARMENIAN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Freshman
Sarah Gayle-Swanson dribbles past a Fresno State
defender. Rigamat said the squad has a strong front line, but its
real strength lies in its depth.

“The people who don’t start have the same
intensity,” Rigamat said. “I think that’s the
strong point of this team.”

Katherine Bjazevich sealed the deal in the 79th minute with a
header off a Tracey Milburn cross. It was the fourth goal of the
year for the freshman, who came off the bench to add an offensive
spark.

UCLA head coach Jillian Ellis said she likes the duality of her
offense, but envisions better play in specific areas.

“We’re a possession team, but we have great
explosiveness up top, which allows us to be a counter team as
well,” she said. “There are still things we need to
improve upon. We need to get better service from our back line and
more movement off the ball.”

On Sunday at LMU the Bruins once again made Peterson’s day
enjoyable. The junior keeper faced five shots, only one of which
was on goal, en route to her sixth straight shutout. UCLA offense
supplied its usual firepower.

Junior Bethany Bogart assisted on two goals off of corner kicks,
the first scored by Courtney Wright in the 23rd minute and the
second registered by Staci Duncan in the 31st minute. Senior Tracey
Milburn drove the nail into the coffin with a goal in the 84th
minute.

The only dark point in the game came in the 82nd minute when
Ellis received a red card for language concerning a hard foul on
Milburn by LMU’s Stacy Roberts. According to NCAA rules,
Ellis will have to sit out the first of this weekend’s
matches.

“It was blatant. She grabbed her from behind and threw her
down. Naturally, I was upset and told the referee what I told and
I’m not proud of it at all,” Ellis said.

UCLA finishes up its non-conference schedule against Marquette
on Friday night and then travels across town for a monumental
conference opener against USC.

“We need to keep on keeping on, but continue to
improve,” Ellis said. “Ultimately we want to peak near
the playoffs.”

The only thing left in question at this point is if a higher
peak exists.