Congrats to the National Champion Bruins... Something that almost happened in the snow, but would have never happened under Snow...
The party 's on... The Pac 12 gets its 3rd and the 5th from the West Coast. UCLA was clearly superior to the ACC teams here, despite some of the nonsense on this site and on that White Kit outfit (won't even read it any more). They are talented and have the heart of Lions...NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!
Outstanding Championship win by a phenomenal UCLA team!! Whad'a ya gotta do to get some respect? How about beat Stanford, UNC, UVA, and totally school FSU for 90+ minutes? Works for me! What an exceptional team! The growth this year since the squad's first trip to Durham is just breathtaking! Great game against UVA, and a well deserved win. Barring the kind of bad luck that breaks the heart of soccer fans, the final against FSU was never in question-- it was only by bad luck that the game was not well-decided by the end of the first half. Congratulations to the coaches, players and families on an exceptional season and an Awesome win in a wickedly difficult bracket! I look forward to seeing you back in the Final Four next year! Well Done!!
Next year's UCLA team has the chance to steak their claim as the best team ever. The talent they have on their roster is unbelievable, and they have more players coming in. And if Cromwell stays there, they could certainly become the next long-term dynasty.
Congrats UCLA. Amazing achievement beating so many good teams on the way to championship. Yes, you've got so many talented players but without great coaching it could mean nothing. Instead Amanda Cromwell knew exactly how to utilize everyone in the best possible way. It's disapointing not to see more UCLA players on MAC Hermann Trophy list. I would put Killion there for sure. You beat my Hoos in possibly premature final but you were better. You were just too strong, beat UVA to almost very ball in the air and on the ground. Can't wait to next season already.
I was very impressed with UCLA at the College Cup. But I also saw them earlier in the year at Notre Dame and knew what they had. That's why I predicted UCLA to win the whole thing. I have seen UCLA play in all the College Cups in the last 13 years and I was always disappointed at how terribly prepared they were for this big event. This time was different. The team looked focused, tactically prepared, physically fit and determined. Cromwell did a great job of preparing this team. Having said that we have to be fair and acknowledge that she did play with B.J. Snow's players so before we anoint her in the elite of college coaches, we have to wait and see how she does on the recruiting front going forward and future. The future does look bright however.
UCLA has always had recruiting. Cromwell did two things that Snow couldn't. Get Courtnall back on the field & win a National Championship
Zoey Goralski, who began practicing with the team last month, will add even more dimension next season.
Hey, the Bruins deserved the championship 100%, but three overtime wins would seem to make "clearly superior to the ACC teams here" a bit of an overstatment.
agree with UNC4EVER- UCLA played brilliant soccer. I thoroughly enjoyed watching them play this weekend. I was shocked and dismayed when I pulled up the NSCAA All-America teams for 2013 and could not find Courtnall's name on it. Oh my goodness...I don't know how anyone could play that position better. When UNC played UCLA in the quarterfinals, I noticed that Ohai could never make anything happen on the left flank as she typically does. Now I see why. At the College Cup , we sat on the side where Courtnall was playing. My goodness- speed, skill, heart. that kid can really play. The whole UCLA team is outstanding. 10 out of 11 starters coming back...oh my...congrats on the win.
Agreed, I was celebrating. Games could have gone either way. There's good soccer all over this country. Hopefully we'll match up again next year.
fair enough. Bruins deserve to celebrate... very, very impressive wins . 2011 National Champion, 2012 National champion, 3 number one seeds, a team that looked unbeatable for much of the year (UVA)... It would be hard to find a run through the tournament more impressive than this in the history of the tournament ....and much of it 3000 miles from home.
Actually, BruBru, I'm wondering: If you think back over it, suppose UCLA got a #1 seed, played the quarters at home, and on Wednesday flew to Cary for the College Cup. Do they still win? Or, perhaps to qualify it better since no one knows the answer to that question, are their chances of winning it all better or poorer? I'm not sure what my answer would be.
Good point, I know the team feels that the tough schedule, starting with Stanford, and the having UNC at their place might have actually been a catalyst. It sure made for a historic run...
My perception is that we need to think about the 2013 UCLA team in a similar context to the 2012 UNC team-- of course they can't win it! Few pundits felt either team would go all the way. I think the UCLA victory this year is the more impressive of the two, as Carolina had to overcome its own internal issues to shine, where UCLA had to claw its way through the best teams in the country to even get a look at the Final-- what they have achieved is simply awesome, and they deserve a ton of praise for everything they have done!
I think ucla looked like a potential champ all year long whereas unc of 2012 projected a real "the dynasty is definitely over " vibe for much of the year. Recall that unc got a better seed than they deserved (#2 rather than a#3 which is what the team expected) whereas ucla got a worse seed than they deserved. Ucla should have been above both unc and va tech based on their season tho h2h w unc might have played a role. Unc of 2012 was very unexpected. Now look at unc of 2013....lots of talent returning from the 2012 champs, but couldn't get it done. Ucla has even more talent coming back (geez , Olympians as non-starters! Literally ) It will be interesting to see if they can make it happen again. They certainly have the most talent and what will Cromwell do with this team with more than a month as coach before the season starts!
http://dailybruin.com/2013/12/08/unity-propelled-ucla-womens-soccers-college-cup-run/ About the UVA semifinal: "...when it became paramount that the Bruins find a way to score, the team showed it had some offensive tricks of its own. Switching from the standard 4-2-3-1 formation to an offense-heavy 3-5-2 formation, the Bruins fought back. And 12 minutes later, junior defender Ally Courtnall, playing right wing instead of right back in the new formation, made a run into the penalty box...."
Had the pleasure of watching UCLA when they were in Boulder to face the Buffs during the Pac 12 season. UCLA won 1-0, but they were hands down the best team both tactically and technically I have ever seen face the Buffs. So no surprise that they won the whole thing.