MICHAEL TOBEY Senior Nicole Everett has
an inside angle on a Cal Poly SLO defender. The Bruins won 7-4 over
the Mustangs, the top-ranked club team in the country.
By Jeff Eisenberg
Daily Bruin Contributor
To attain elite status in women’s club lacrosse, UCLA
coach Johanna Williams knew her squad would have to get by Cal Poly
San Luis Obispo sooner or later. The nation’s top-ranked club
team, the Mustangs have defeated the Bruins five straight times,
including a 9-3 setback earlier this month.
On Sunday afternoon, UCLA finally got some revenge.
With a patient offense and stingy goaltending, the host Bruins
toppled Cal Poly 7-4, evening their record at 2-2 and keeping their
goal of a division title firmly within reach.
“It is such a big thing to beat them finally,”
freshman goaltender Charlotte Cunningham said. “We knew it
was going to be hard, so it is great to finally come out and take
it to them.”
Cunningham was instrumental in preserving the victory,
aggressively challenging the Mustang forwards, and stopping three
eight-meter shots after Bruin penalties.
“That was really the difference,” said Williams of
her goaltender’s performance. “When we played them at
Cal Poly, they scored three or four goals off of eight-meter shots.
This week I worked a lot with (Cunningham). She just did an
incredible job.”
Unlike Cal Poly, UCLA capitalized on each of its
opponent’s miscues, scoring four goals after Mustang
penalties and building a 5-1 lead at halftime. Senior Alison Lee
led a methodical Bruin attack, notching three goals and an assist
on the afternoon.
Williams, who had been concerned that the Bruins would become
impatient against Cal Poly’s vaunted zone defense, was
instead ecstatic about her squad’s performance.
“I think we did really well against it,” she said.
“We got them tired just by moving the ball and being very
patient looking for shots. Partway through the second half, they
switched to man, and that was fine with us.”
The victory was not without dicey moments for UCLA.
Early in the second half, Cal Poly played with a level of
intensity befitting an elite team, scoring three quick goals,
cutting the Bruin lead to one. The Mustangs’ Ashley Kiersted
led the comeback with a goal and an assist, as UCLA allowed its
opponents to get downfield uncontested.
“I think we were fired up in the first half, and then we
just lost our focus,” said Williams, who called a timeout
after Cal Poly’s third consecutive goal to give her squad a
chance to regroup. “I called them in, we refocused, and then
took back (the momentum). It scared me, though.”
After the timeout, UCLA seemed to play with renewed
concentration and energy. The Bruins made crisp passes and
controlled the ball, forcing their tired opponents into ill-advised
penalties. The Bruins’ final two goals both came off of free
shots after exhausted Mustang defenders committed infractions in
front of their own net.
The sweltering heat and the physicality of the game ultimately
seemed to take its toll on Cal Poly late in the second half. On the
other hand, the Bruins were able to take everything in stride.
The Bruins will relish the victory for a day or two, but they
cannot afford to relax. After losing their first two games of the
season, they have no margin of error if they hope to make the
playoffs and earn a bid to the Final Four in St. Louis.
On the other hand, Williams and her squad are aware of how
significant Sunday’s victory is for the program.
“They are a really tough team, so it is always tough
playing against them,” Williams said. “I think we will
definitely see them again this season come playoff time.”