Friday, October 30, 1998
UCLA to defend Pac-10 soccer title
PREVIEW: Anticipation builds as team prepares to face crosstown
rival USC
By A. CinQue Carter
Daily Bruin Contributor
It’s for the love of the game.
When UCLA and USC clash, records don’t mean a thing. The
Trojan-Bruin rivalry is so intense that the competition is
top-notch no matter what the sport.
Women’s soccer is no exception to the rule.
The Bruins (15-2-1, 5-1 Pac-10) face off the Trojans on Sunday
at the Los Angeles Coliseum in a match with serious Pac-10 and
post-season implications. The Bruins come into the contest No. 1 in
the Pac-10 conference but tied with Washington (5-1) and UC
Berkeley (4-1) in the loss column.
"This game has a lot to do with the rivalry (between UCLA and
USC) and winning the Pac-10," sophomore midfielder Sommer Hammoud
said.
"The first thing we have in mind is winning the (conference),
and we have to win the next three games in a row to do that. USC is
the first of those three."
UCLA, ranked No. 19 by the NSCAA and No. 13 by both Soccer
America and ESPN/ Soccer Times, comes into the contest riding a
three-game win streak, while USC (10-6-1, 4-2), losers of their
first two conference games, has won its last four. Also, the
Trojans, unranked due to their early season slide, are in fourth
place in the conference, just one game behind the first-place
Bruins.
The conference race means so much because its victor will gain
an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. While UCLA would have a
legitimate shot at a berth without the Pac-10 crown, USC’s chances
would be slim to none.
"What makes (the game) so fun is the rivalry," Hammoud
added.
That rivalry decided the Pac-10 crown last season. The title,
eventually won by UCLA with a 9-0 record, was clinched by a Bruin
victory over the Trojans, 3-2.
Their 1997 matchup drew a record 2,373 fans, 993 more than the
Bruins’ previous home record, set vs. Stanford. The cross-town
rivals clashed, and UCLA walked away victorious 3-1.
In this year’s hunt for the Pac-10 title, each team is posting
high Pac-10 numbers. Defending champion UCLA, the conference leader
in points, has totaled 115 points this season, while the Trojans
are third with 97. UCLA has five players in double figures; USC has
three. And while UCLA posts a 0.53 goals against average (GAA) to
lead the conference, the Trojans are in fourth place with a 1.18
GAA and rising.
UCLA boasts five players among the conference’s top 16 scorers.
Freshman forward Staci Duncan is second in points (25), sophomore
forward Tracey Milburn and freshman midfielder Breana Boling are
tied for ninth with 18 points each, sophomore midfielder Venus
James is 11th (15) and senior forward Larisa Kiremidjian is 16th
(12).
Even more stellar is the Bruin defensive combination of keeper
Lindsay Culp and defenders Skylar Little, Karissa Hampton and
Krista Boling. With three games to go, the Bruins have already tied
their season record of shutouts with 10.
Culp’s performance is key; she is only conference keeper giving
up less than one goal per game. The 0.55 GAA that Culp has produced
includes a Bruin-best 9.5 season shutouts.
The backline, nicknamed the "No Goal Patrol," stands tall as
well. Little, Hampton and Boling, in two weekend victories, limited
Oregon to just three shots on goal last Friday and then set a UCLA
record by holding Oregon State to a single shot.
"We pride ourselves on not giving up any goals," Hampton said.
"It’s all about defense.
"If we go out there (against ‘SC) prepared like we were against
OSU, then we’ll handle our business. Everyone has to go out there
and give it 110 percent.
"It’s the seniors’ last (home) game, and every minute means
something."
USC will also want to send its seniors off in a big way. The
seven players in their class are 1-2 vs. UCLA, and they would like
to end up even when they leave.
Making a strong push for the women of Troy on Senior Day will be
standouts junior midfielder Kim Clark and sophomore forward
Isabelle Harvey, fourth and fifth in Pac-10 scoring respectively.
The tandem places USC as the only school in the conference with two
players in the top-five in scoring.
Clark’s 21 points include a seventh-place ranking in goals
(eight) and ranking sixth in assists (five). Harvey, meanwhile, has
posted 20 points which include eight assists (first place in
conference) and six goals (tied for ninth).
In last year’s 16-win season, the Trojans counted on 49 percent
of their scoring to come from Clark. USC’s pride and joy, who was
named one of five "national players to watch" earlier this month by
the Missouri Athletic Club, finished last season second in the
Pac-10 in scoring with 43 points.
In just a little over two seasons, Clark, who also plays
basketball with her twin sister Kristin, has moved into the top
spot on USC’s career points and assists lists (80 and 26,
respectively).
For her achievements, Clark was named an All-American last
season by NSCAA/ Umbro (third team), Soccer Buzz (third team) and
Soccer News (honorable mention).
The junior midfielder has paced the Trojan attack. Nonetheless,
USC has not faced a defense such as UCLA’s.
The Bruins intend to continue dominating defensively, preventing
USC coach Jim Millinder from earning his 50th career victory in
this game.
"Everyone’s just so fired up to play (USC)," Hampton said.
"Watching them on film just livened us all up."
"We’re a talented team and if we play like we know we can, then
things should turn out like we want them to. We just have to play
to the best of our abilities."
But since anything can happen, that’s why they play the game.USC
Sports Information
Bruin defenders look to shut out USC’s Kim Clark as they have
done to other conference top scorers.
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