UCLA summer all-stars start fall in full swing
By Emma Coghlan
Sept. 27, 2012 4:43 a.m.
There’s been a lot of silence from the stands for most UCLA sports lately.
While the focus might be the sparse crowds at the Rose Bowl, the bleachers at Drake, Spieker, and Wooden have been lacking their share of fans as well, as teams’ seasons got started long before the school year did.
Men’s and women’s soccer were two of the first teams to kick off their seasons.
The women’s team entered the season without one big star ““ Sydney Leroux. She graduated last year after a stellar UCLA career, and it looked like the Bruins were going to need to find their legs when it came to offense.
Enter senior Zakiya Bywaters.
Bywaters has been a strong presence for UCLA over previous seasons, but she is truly making a name and a legacy for herself this year. In 2012 she has already scored twice as many goals as she did all of last year, with six on the season.
They have been at home all season, and now they set out for a month-long road trip right as classes get going.
“We really have to focus, really get our head straight, because once school gets incorporated into the mix it’s going to be even more challenging,” said sophomore defender Ally Courtnall after the team’s first Pac-12 game, a tie against Washington State.
Their counterpart, men’s soccer, is making a big impact as well. Although their season got started with a home loss, they have managed to win or tie every match since then.
Like women’s soccer, the team lost some major players last season, including Kelyn Rowe and Chandler Hoffman. However, they have had a variety of players come with big goals, including senior midfielder Ryan Hollingshead, who has had a strong offensive year, and redshirt senior midfielder Fernando Monge, who leads the team in goals.
The women’s volleyball team had a lot to live up to coming into 2012, as they took the National Title and all the glory that came with it last season.
However, they didn’t lose any of the most significant elements of their championship campaign ““ three key outside hitters, junior Kelly Reeves, senior Tabi Love, and senior Rachael Kidder, remain in the blue and gold this season.
They have only suffered two losses so far, and with Pac-12 play just revving up it looks as though the Bruins may be capable of defending their title.
Men’s water polo made it to the National Championship game last season, but walked away having lost once again to rival USC.
They came into this season ranked No. 2 with USC at No. 1, and the rankings have stayed lodged that way throughout the season.
At the NorCal Tournament earlier this month, the Bruins suffered some deja vu when they lost to the Trojans in the final game.
The season is just starting up for UCLA, but due to the high volume of games they play in the beginning of the season, with tournaments and invitationals, they already have 12 wins under their belt.
Although there is a core group of seniors on the team, it’s been the younger contributors that have made the difference ““ freshman Danny McClintick and sophomore Paul Reynolds have consistently made the difference with clutch goals.
The only problem for the Bruins has been a recurring issue with defense that has caused worry even when they win.
Reynolds addressed the mindset the team needs to take after their 16-8 win over Loyola Marymount last weekend.
“It’s the details. We know we have a good team and can run a good defense, but we just have to be able to come into a game, start out strong and focus on the minor details.”
All of these sports are just getting ready for conference play, which means that the seasons’ intensity is likely to begin increasing.
“Conference play is always harder, there’s always more at stake,” said junior midfielder Chelsea Stewart after women’s soccer played WSU.
The collection of fall teams is among the most competitive at UCLA. All four of these squads had a shot at a title last season, with one coming through. History looks close to repeating itself ““ all are ranked in the top 10 right now.
These teams have been making noise this season, and now that their fellow Bruins are back in school, the stands will too.
Contributing reports from Andrew Erickson, Bruin Sports contributor
