The task at hand stands about as tall as the redwood trees that surround the city of Palo Alto.
After all, the UCLA women’s soccer team has faced Stanford once before this season, only to lose 2-0 in a battle of Pac-10 rivals.
Since then, the Bruins (13-7-2) have assumed the identity of the underdog, while the No. 1-seeded Cardinal (20-0-2) has yet to taste defeat this year.
But that doesn’t necessarily give cause for UCLA coach Jillian Ellis to flinch. Nor will she cringe or bat an eye at the mention of today’s anticipated match between two of the four teams that starred in the NCAA Women’s College Cup last year.
“Honestly, we’ve got nothing to lose,” Ellis said. “The pressure is on (Stanford); they’re the No. 1 seed, they’re undefeated. We’ve got to have a sense of taking great risk and going for it.
“Regardless of where we play ““ and obviously, they’re going to have the benefit of playing at home ““ we’re a team that’s looking toward this as an exciting match.”
Two No. 1 seeds have already packed their bags earlier than expected during the tournament. Portland and Maryland have seen their seasons come to abrupt ends after both losing to unseeded teams in the second round.
Now, the Bruins will attempt to topple a third giant in similar fashion.
“We’ve been training and practicing all week, getting physically and mentally prepared,” freshman defender Ariana Martinez said. “The rest is just to play it out (today), but we’ve been doing all we can to be ready for the game.”
Although the Bruins lead the all-time series 8-7-3, the Cardinal has won the past three head-to-head matches, including a 2-1 overtime victory in the semifinals of the 2009 College Cup.
But if anything, Ellis promises a different Bruin team will show up than the one that allowed the Cardinal to steal a win at Drake Stadium last month.
“We’re a new team, we’re a different team,” Ellis said. “We’re playing with great energy and great purpose and a physical dimension. And going into the match, that’s a positive for us.”
“It would be better to beat (Stanford) on their home field because of the fact that they came here and beat us on ours,” freshman midfielder Natalia Ledezma added. “It just gives us that much more motivation.”
Richmond out for season
Freshman midfielder Jenna Richmond has officially been ruled out for the rest of the season after tearing the ACL in her right knee during the match against Brigham Young University on Nov. 11.
Richmond has the third-highest points on the team with 14 and is tied for second in scoring with five goals on the year.