Red card doesn’t stop women’s soccer’s dominance

It was an eventful first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the
UCLA women’s soccer team, as the Bruins scored 12 goals,
conceded none, saw their coach kicked out of the team’s
second-round match, and continued their quest for a third-straight
appearance in the College Cup with a 9-0 win over Mississippi
Valley State on Friday and a 3-0 win over Colorado on Sunday at
Drake Stadium.

Sunday’s second-round 3-0 victory over Colorado certainly
had its moments of excitement, but the match will likely be
remembered for what transpired in the 25th minute.

With the top-seeded Bruins (19-1-2) leading 1-0, the referee
stopped play to attend to a Colorado player who had fallen to the
ground, halting a clear Bruin advantage. Incensed, UCLA coach Jill
Ellis launched a verbal tirade on the referee, ultimately resulting
in a red card.

Ellis was forced to leave Drake Stadium, and she will not be
allowed to be on the sideline in the team’s third-round match
next Saturday.

“You’ve just got to deal with the adversity and go
with it,” senior defender Jill Oakes said.
“That’s what happened today. “I knew we were
capable, I knew we were playing well, and the second you doubt
yourself, that’s when you know you’re in
trouble.”

The Bruins came together in their coach’s absence, with
freshman forward Kara Lang scoring on a free kick just outside the
box in the 32nd minute to take the score to 2-0. Senior forward
Iris Mora had opened up the scoring in the 11th minute, coolly
putting away a ball played over the Colorado defense by McCall
Zerboni.

“I think we played really well as a team,” said
Lang, who also scored the third Bruin goal in the 63rd minute.
“We kept possession and we played our game. We fought through
adversity.

“Losing your coach in the middle of the first half,
that’s pretty tough. The leaders of our team definitely
stepped it up and we got through it.”

Assistant coach Mark Carr said he and fellow assistant Joe
Mallia looked to the team’s seniors to provide the leadership
in Ellis’ absence.

“We didn’t want that to affect us,” Mora said.
“We wanted to keep the same rhythm and keep playing. We
didn’t want to get distracted by that.”

After Ellis made the long walk to the exit, her team appeared to
come together. There was a visible fire in the players on the
field, and those on the bench stood to cheer their teammates.

“That’s a sign of our players supporting our head
coach,” Mallia said. “It’s a sign of the respect
they have for her.”

Sunday’s match was the second time UCLA, one of four No. 1
seeds in the tournament, faced Colorado this season. The Bruins
beat the Buffaloes 2-0 on Sept. 11 in the UCLA Women’s
Cup.

The Bruins, now unbeaten in 17 straight matches, took control of
Sunday’s match from the outset. Mora, whose consistently
unselfish play usually results in assists instead of goals, was
happy to find the net first.

“It was a great feeling,” Mora said. “I
haven’t been scoring much, so it felt great to have the
opportunity to score. It felt great to help my team.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Val Henderson was also a critical part of
the Bruins’ success Sunday, making six saves, none bigger
than her save on a penalty kick in the 56th minute.

A converted penalty would have made the score 2-1 and possibly
changed the dynamic of the match. As it happened, however, the save
gave the Bruins even more momentum, and Lang’s second goal
put the game away.

And so it is in Ellis’ seventh season that the Bruins
advanced to the Sweet 16 for the seventh straight year.

“She’s just an amazing coach and amazing energy to
have around, so it was unfortunate not to have her there,”
Oakes said.