By Calley Prezzano
Daily Bruin Contributor
The UCLA women’s club lacrosse team (7-4) proved that the
third time is truly a charm after defeating the Loyola Marymount
Lions Saturday in a victory that the squad has been striving for
all season. The team will move on to play Stanford in the Final
Four Championships in Berkeley this weekend.
Saturday’s game was the third time the Bruins played the
Lions. Earlier in the season UCLA played LMU and the game went into
overtime, where the Bruins were defeated 9-8. In the teams’
second meeting, UCLA lost again, 6-5, in double overtime. This
weekend, however, the Bruins’ game came together.
The team was up in the beginning when the Lions started to come
back ““ a familiar situation for UCLA.
“I was scared,” senior co-captain Alexis Tjian said.
“It was just like all the other games.”
But the Bruins held their ground, and without going into
overtime, beat the Lions 5-4. Junior Alison Lee made three shots,
while Olivia Patterson and Jen Evans each scored one goal. Freshman
goalie Alana Kadden also had a good game.
“In a game that close it comes down to saves,” Coach
Johanna Williams said. “Alana made some huge saves, which
helped the team.”
Despite the close victory, neither the Bruins nor the Lions
played to their full potential.
“We were sloppy, our passing was off and theirs was,
too,” Tjian said.
One thing that kept UCLA together was teamwork. From the
beginning of warmup the Bruins were united in a different way than
they had the previous two games. While LMU’s players were
straggling in, UCLA’s came to the game as a team, and the
unity proved to the Bruins’ advantage.
“We had to overcome a lot of pressure,” Williams
said. “(The LMU) game determined whether or not we continued
our season. We did what we had to do.”
UCLA plays undefeated Stanford on Saturday, and another game
Sunday.
“With LMU, we knew what to expect. We would try to
practice beating their defense during training, but you can’t
(be completely prepared) ““ even if you think you know what
they’ll do,” Tjian said. “It’ll be even
harder (this weekend) because we haven’t even seen Stanford
play this year.”
Last year Stanford defeated the Bruins 12-9. The UCLA squad took
the loss in stride and is proud of getting to play such a strong
team again this year.
“We’re excited to go, have fun and play the best we
can,” Tjian said.
UCLA’s largest obstacle this weekend is that is has to
face varsity-level teams. Squads like Stanford have been around for
more than 20 years. They recruit their players and get money for
the team.
“They are fast; their skills are in tip-top
condition,” Tjian said. “(Stanford) trains year
round.”
Regardless of the intimidation factor, Coach Williams has
confidence that UCLA will do well this weekend.
“We just want to play a great game of lacrosse,” she
said. “We’ve got a lot of athletic ability, and it can
take us a long way in a game.”
Although the games will be tough, the Bruins are ready to show
the NorCal teams what they can do.
“It’s such an honor to go (to the Final Four) as a
club team,” Tjian said. “It’s hard to compete
with these varsity teams, but out of club, I’d say
we’re the best.”