Friday, November 14, 1997
Bruins prepare to fly through first round
W. SOCCER:
Unseeded UCLA team must fight for respect for Pac-10 in game
against PilotsBy Chris Umpierre
Daily Bruin Contributor
The UCLA women’s soccer program continues to get no respect.
The latest lack of respect toward the program was dealt with
Tuesday, when the NCAA Division I tournament pairings were
read.
Despite winning the Pac-10 conference and winning their last 10
games of the season, the No. 12 Bruins (17-2, 9-0) were not only
left unseeded, but were denied a first-round home playoff game in
the tournament, as they were shipped out to play at No. 3 Portland.
UCLA will take on the seventh-seeded Pilots (14-4) on Sunday at 1
p.m. at Portland’s Merlo Field.
UCLA wasn’t the only team that was treated unfairly, as their
West region as a whole received just three bids, with Brigham Young
University (19-3) and Santa Clara (17-2-1) as the other teams
receiving selections.
USC, who finished the season 16-3-1, was one notable team that
was left out of the tournament. Unbelievably, teams like Maryland
(12-8-2) and Wake Forest (11-7-2) received bids.
"This is hard to believe," USC head coach Jim Millinder told the
Los Angeles Times on Wednesday. "You look at everything we did, and
I can’t believe it. 16-3-1 should be good enough to get in. I don’t
know what their criteria was, but I’m going to find out."
The Bruins will not only be fighting for some respect for the
Pac-10 conference on Sunday but for the program.
"What the (UCLA) women’s team is going through right now is
basically what we went through in the early ’80s as a men’s program
where basically the West Coast was not respected soccer-wise," UCLA
men’s head coach Sigi Schmid said.
Although the squad was disappointed at being shipped out of
Westwood, they tried to look at the bright side.
"To me it doesn’t matter where we play," an optimistic UCLA head
coach Joy Fawcett told The Times. "In a way, it’s better for us. I
think we are more focused away from home. Everybody is away from
school and family, so there’s less distraction."
The Bruins had an excellent 8-1 road record during the regular
season. Their only loss came to the hands of the Connecticut
Huskies in a match played in New Jersey in the beginning of the
season.
Nevertheless, Portland will be a big test for the Bruins.
Experience is on the Pilots’ side as the Bruins have just one
other playoff game in school history. In 1995, the Bruins lost to
Washington 2-1 in the first round.
The Pilots, on the other hand, are riddled with playoff
experience. They have not only been in postseason play the last six
years but have played in three consecutive Final Fours. In last
year’s semifinals, Portland lost 3-2 to Notre Dame.
This year’s Pilot team has been just as successful. Portland
tied Santa Clara for the West Coast Conference Championship, its
fourth consecutive league crown.
A look at a common opponent between the schools gives the Bruins
an advantage. Last Friday, Portland lost 1-0 to Pepperdine, a team
UCLA beat 3-0 earlier in the season.
The Bruins will also have the advantage of riding a 10-game
winning streak into the match.
If UCLA is able to beat the Pilots on Sunday, it might finally
give the program and the conference some well-deserved respect.
DERRICK KUDO
Traci Arkenberg hopes to lead the women’s soccer team through
the first round with a victory over the Portland Pilots.