Tonight’s marquee matchup will be a familiar one for
UCLA’s Nandi Pryce.
She’ll be up against an ex-roommate.
Pryce, who lived with Kansas forward Caroline Smith in April
while both were at U.S. Under-21 National Team Camp, will
undoubtedly have to reacquaint herself with Smith when UCLA hosts
Kansas tonight in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
“Caroline’s a great player,” Pryce said.
“She’s quick, she’s agile and she’s a
finisher. We’re definitely concerned about her.”
Despite playing with a large, black brace over her injured right
knee, 5-foot-2-inch Smith, the Big-12’s leading scorer with
19 goals, expects to be in the lineup tonight against the
fourth-seeded Bruins (18-1-3). That means that Pryce, UCLA’s
All-American defender, will likely have to keep an eye on Smith no
matter where she goes on the field.
The prospect of a one-on-one showdown between the two has
crossed Smith’s mind, and she knows that Pryce will not be
easy to beat.
“I certainly can’t walk all over her,” Smith
said. “She’s a solid defender. I’ll have to take
advantage of any chances I get.”
Smith is clearly the top offensive weapon for a Jayhawk squad
that has already posted two impressive victories in postseason
play. After amassing eight wins over tournament foes in the regular
season, Kansas (18-5-1) defeated Illinois State, 3-1, and Missouri,
2-0, to earn its first ever berth in the round of 16.
UCLA, meanwhile, has not really been tested in a pair of 2-0
postseason victories over San Diego and Pepperdine. The Bruins have
outshot their first two opponents 47-3 and generally have
controlled the flow of play.
But while it would be easy to assume that UCLA might be
overlooking Kansas, the Bruins’ third round loss to Texas
A&M last year has kept the squad motivated.
“This is the round of 16. This is business,” Pryce
said. “Kansas is well-coached, and they have a lot of really
big wins. We cannot afford to look past them.”
The Jayhawks have traditionally played a 4-3-3 ““ an
attack-oriented formation that features three forwards. Kansas
coach Mark Francis would not say whether they’ll play the
Bruins straight up, or switch to a more defensive set-up.
What Francis did say was that his squad would not be intimidated
squaring off against a UCLA team that is among the most athletic in
the nation. Although Kansas is in an unfamiliar position thousands
of miles from home, Francis says his team believes it can win.
“We have to be confident,” he said. “If we
don’t do that, we’re going to lose.
“We’ve faced athletic teams before,” he
added.
But while regular season match-ups with conference foes Texas
and Nebraska should help with preparation, it’s unlikely that
the Jayhawks have faced a team as deep and talented as the
Bruins.
First-team All-Big-12 goalie Meghan Miller will likely need a
standout performance to keep the Bruins off the scoreboard.
If the Kansas defense holds up, then the game could come down to
the two ex-roommates ““ Smith and Pryce. UCLA coach Jill Ellis
is wary of Smith’s skill with the ball, and knows that any
errors by her defense could be costly.
“Caroline’s a great finisher,” Ellis said.
“She sits on the backline and waits for her opportunity. We
know we have a big challenge ahead of us.”