Victory to determine Final Four berth

  PATIL ARMENIAN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Stephanie
Rigamat tries to head the ball against a USC defender in a
victory earlier in the season.

By Jeff Agase
Daily Bruin Contributor

When the No. 10 UCLA women’s soccer team plays host to No.
9 Texas A&M at Drake Stadium on Sunday, they won’t get a
second chance to make a first impression.

There could be no better place for the sixth-seeded Bruins
(16-3-1 overall) to face the Aggies (18-6-0) for the first time
then in the third round of the NCAA tournament.

“I think it’s kind of neat playing a team
you’ve never played before because you kind of go in without
preconceived notions,” said UCLA head coach Jillian Ellis.
“They know they just have to play their game.”

Texas A&M is in the third round of the tournament for the
second consecutive year and has earned tournament berths in six
straight seasons.

“I expect this to be the hardest game of our season
because we know that they’re fast, they’re good in the
middle, and they’re an all-around good team,” said
junior Stephanie Rigamat.

“This will be the best team we’ve played thus far,
and we don’t know much about them. We’ve heard that
they’re physical and we’re up for the
battle.”

The Aggies cannot claim any players in the top 20 of any NCAA
statistical category, but sophomore forward Heather Ragsdale
registered 14 goals and nine assists while starting all 24 games
and freshman midfielder Kristen Strutz added 11 goals and 11
assists to provide much of the Aggies’ firepower.

Ellis compared Texas A&M’s athleticism and toughness
with one Pac-10 school in particular ““ California. The Bruins
downed the Bears 4-1 earlier this season.

“What I know about them is they’re athletic,
they’re hard and physical, and they’ve been in the top
10 most of the season,” Ellis said. “Their team is
composed mostly of Texas players, who are known to be athletic and
quick and technical, so I’m anticipating a good
game.”

The Aggies, like the Bruins, earned a first-round bye in the
tournament by virtue of their consistently high ranking. They
disposed of Marquette 4-0 last Sunday, holding the Golden Eagles to
just six shots and applying constant offensive pressure. Texas
A&M head coach G. Guerrieri is happy just to be in the third
round.

“The pressure is over,” he said in a statement.
“The pressure to get to this point was a mess. Everything we
do to this point is a bonus because we have already done as well as
we ever have.”

The Bruins, on the other hand, have decidedly loftier goals.

“The goal for this team is to get to the Final
Four,” Ellis said. “Right now we have two more games.
Texas A&M is our next obstacle, and that’s step
two.”

Step one was last Saturday’s 3-0 annihilation of
cross-town rival USC at Drake Stadium. The Bruins turned in their
13th shutout in 20 games this season behind a defense that has been
stellar all year and a 4-4-2 offensive formation that has
consistently produced scoring opportunities.

“Our first key was to win 50-50 balls,” Ellis said.
“Once we win the ball we can possess it, and that’s our
strength. The second thing that went in our favor was that the
players were very mentally focused preparing. They’re hungry
““ they want it.”

If the Bruins are hungry enough, they’ll give Texas
A&M an unforgettable first impression.