Bruins rough up Claremont, Arizona

By Regina Yeh
Daily Bruin Contributor

They resembled soldier action figures right before the start of
the game.

As the two teams were positioned all over the field, each player
leaned forward, poised with their lacrosse sticks eagerly
outstretched. For an instant, the referee had complete control of
all the Bruin and Claremont players on the field ““ and then
came the toss of the ball. Movement took over, and never
relinquished.

UCLA battled Claremont last Saturday in one of the
season’s final league games. The North Athletic Field’s
seemingly tranquil grassy grounds became a war field as the Bruin
women’s lacrosse players fought for the lead. Their efforts
eventually led to the 8-3 victory.

“We had played them before, and we were trying to come out
and play more aggressively,” UCLA fourth-year attacker Nicole
Everette said.

Within the game’s first half, the Bruins were already
leading, 4-2. They kept up the aggression, continuously keeping
Claremont on the defense.

Yet, for UCLA, the game also seemed frustrating and awkwardly
handled. Losing control of the ball when passing and breaks in the
continuous movement on the field made the players abruptly change
from one direction to the other.

“I think a win is a win in our book, but we weren’t
playing our game,” Everette said. “We had a little
difficulty with our midfield transitions. It could have been
better, and it was a little frustrating.”

Head coach Johanna Williams agreed to what seemed a lapse of
concentration on the field, and referred to the numerous faults
that the referees called against the Bruins.

“I’m always happy about the win, but we could have
done better,” Williams said. “It wasn’t our best
game, and we still have to put in a good effort to really win, but
I’m glad that we did.”

Without much more hesitation, the Bruins fulfilled the
quarter’s second half ““ expertly scoring more goals
upon nearing the Claremont net -which their opponents
couldn’t seem to defend.

“Every time we got knocked down, we got back up,”
fourth-year defense Diane Lee said.

Like those same intricately placed soldiers, the Bruins held on
to their territory, defying many of Claremont’s offensive
moves. As the end of each quarter brought Claremont closer to the
Bruins’ net, UCLA stood their ground until time ran out, too
late for a goal from the contenders.

UCLA returned to the same field the next day on Sunday to
vanquish Arizona, 15-3. Having lost to the Wildcats just a few
weeks ago by one point, the Bruins again focused on aggression to
redeem their win.

“We did a really good job playing out the game,”
third-year defense Meghan Brown said. “We wanted a strong win
to finish off the season before playoffs.”

With the victorious conclusion of both the weekend’s
events, the lacrosse team finishes their season with an incredible
league record of 10-3, and anticipation toward the playoffs held in
Claremont.