Squad in slump, can girls kick back?
By Daily Bruin Staff
Nov. 1, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 ED RHEE Sophomore defender Kathryn Lee
fights with a USC player for the ball in a game earlier this
season.
By Eli Karon
Daily Bruin Contributor
The UCLA women’s soccer team is in an unfamiliar
situation.
Coming off an unexpected 2-1 loss at the hands of unranked
Oregon State, the Bruins will face the Washington schools in the
final home stand of the season. The games come at a crucial time
for UCLA, as they are among the last before the NCAA playoffs.
Last weekend’s loss was the second in as many weeks for
the powerful Bruin team, which is not used to losing. Its recent
slump saw them drop from second to fifth in the national rankings.
UCLA (13-2, 4-1 Pac-10) will look to bounce back with a vengeance
against No. 16 Washington (10-3-1, 4-1) on Friday afternoon at
Drake Stadium.
Sunday’s game holds more importance for nine Bruins in
particular. Seniors Bethany Bogart, Krista and Breana Boling, Staci
Duncan, Brittany Whalen, Stephanie Rigamat, Mary-Frances Monroe,
Lauren Emblem and CiCi Peterson will play the final home game of
their UCLA careers.
“It’s exciting but it’s sad,” senior
Bethany Bogart said. “There’s nine of us, and five have
been together for four years.”
Fellow senior Staci Duncan echoed Duncan’s sentiment.
“It’s a lot of fun,” she said.
“I’m going to remember the people more than anything,
I’ve made great friends.”
After the homestand, the Bruins will have to travel north to
face Cal and Stanford. This weekend’s games will serve as a
good tune-up for the more powerful teams up north, but the Bruins
will not overlook the weekend games.
“Our goal for a long time has been to win the Pac-10
championship,” head coach Jillian Ellis said. “We are
very much focused on this weekend. We have to win our next four
games, so we know what’s at stake.”
UCLA cannot afford to lose to either team this weekend. With the
playoffs approaching, the Bruins are looking to win decisively.
As an added incentive, Friday’s game will be televised on
Fox Sports Net.
The Bruins look to defend their 21- game home-unbeaten streak,
which dates back to Nov. 14, 1998 ““ an NCAA playoff loss to
BYU. The Huskies, on the other hand, enter the match with the
memory of last year’s 1-0 overtime victory over UCLA in
Seattle fresh in their minds.
Against Washington State (7-6, 2-3), UCLA is 6-1-1 all-time and
hasn’t lost to the Cougars since 1993 ““ the first year
of women’s soccer at UCLA.
