UCLA 2 James Madison 1 UCLA 2
William & Mary 0
By Jeff Agase
Daily Bruin Reporter Virtually untested in its first five matches,
the No. 2 UCLA women’s soccer team had to sweat a bit on the
way to wins over James Madison and William & Mary this weekend
in Virginia. “We didn’t play particularly
well,”UCLA head coach Jillian Ellis said. “We can
definitely play better soccer, but they got it done, and given that
we had to travel across the country, and given it was cold,
I’m proud of the fact that they put in a workman-like
performance.” On Friday night against a very game James
Madison (3-4-1), the Bruins (7-0) jumped on the Dukes early with a
couple of goals and then held on for a 2-1 victory. Senior forward
Mary-Frances Monroe notched the game’s first goal when she
sent a volley from the tip of the penalty box past James Madison
goalkeeper Suzanne Wilson in the 19th minute. The goal marked the
fifth time in the Bruins’ first six games that Monroe had
scored at least one goal, but she wasn’t finished yet. Just
12 minutes later, she sent a one-timer to fellow senior and Hermann
Trophy candidate Stephanie Rigamat, who touched the ball in from
six yards out to give the Bruins a 2-0 edge. What appeared to be a
smooth coast to victory hit a bump, however, when JMU senior Jamie
Miller rocketed a free kick from outside the penalty box and past
Bruin netminder CiCi Peterson. The goal came in the 67th minute and
pulled the Dukes within one, but they got no closer. “It was
a free kick from about 25 to 28 yards out, and she just hit it
really well,” Ellis said. “It went over our wall and it
was a tremendous shot.” “Goals can happen at the most
random moments. You give up a free kick, and a team can score right
away. That’s the nature of our sport ““ you can play
well and lose, or you can play poorly and win.” Sunday
afternoon’s match against No. 22 William & Mary marked a
return for Coach Ellis to her college playing days. She starred as
a forward for the Tribe (6-2-1) from 1984-87 and put William &
Mary on the Bruin schedule to bring her squad to soccer-crazed
Virginia. Some of Ellis’ old acquaintances got to see
first-hand just what Ellis had traveled across the country for when
the Bruins beat the Tribe 2-0. Monroe again began the Bruin charge
when she capitalized on a free kick in the 38th minute to put UCLA
on the board with her team-leading sixth goal of the season. Senior
midfielder Breana Boling added an insurance goal in the second
half, her first of the year. Peterson needed to make only two saves
on four shots in her fifth shutout of the year. Monroe credited a
staunch Bruin defense for her scoring opportunities.
“I’m happy to be a part of a team that plays so well
together, especially the defense,” she said.
“That’s how our goals come. First they get the ball to
us, and then we get to score the goals.” The Bruins managed
only 11 shots on a cold and windy Virginia afternoon, but will
return to the sunny skies of Westwood for next weekend’s UCLA
Women’s Cup, where they will put their undefeated record on
the line in home openers against Loyola Marymount and
Princeton.