Cali-Gator Mom- I’m glad to see your post here. I’ve enjoyed your comments, and the other Florida fans’ comments, on the Gator thread. Second your comment - It was a very entertaining game. Funny thing about the “over-the-top” (long-ball) attack - the Gators did the best job of any team I’ve seen this year on Danesha Adams.Your defenders just did a great job; because usually Danesha is so dangerous, if you’d seen her in any other game it would give you extra incentive to needle your coach to play that way. But Danesha really has some special skills beyond the obvious one of speed and quickness; she has an array of little tricks, of head flicks, tips, touches, controlling the angle, playing the ball on the fly / playing the bounce... I doubt there are more than 2 or 3 in college who can make that style of attack as consistently dangerous as it is for Jillian Ellis and her UCLA team. But Friday night? Your D pretty much smothered her; and the few times she got the touch ahead and made it a footrace, your defenders had the speed to match and play it to safety. Wouldn’t it be ironic if the reason your coach elects not to attack this way is because... your defense is so good at handling it that she figures it isn’t worth trying? Think of it, if the D handles it at team practice as well as they handled Danesha on Friday, who could blame her for figuring we better try something else. The irony would be if it would work on any defense other than your own...! It certainly has worked for the Bruins against anyone else.
BruinEPLfan: Good analysis of the game. I came in 10 minutes late so missed the first two goals. From what I saw, the rest of the first half was very even, which of course is frustrating because you want to (you expect to) be winning. Maybe Florida had a little more possession - that’s their style, more of a possession game. I don’t think they were more dangerous in the last 30-35 minutes of the half; there weren’t that many dangerous chances for either side but I think tUCLA had the 2 best chances, a header that wound up on top of the net and a play that went across the goal mouth. What Florida did very well was defend Danesha Adams. They did a better job covering her than any team I saw this year. She never appeared dangerous - and it’s not for UCLA’s lack of trying in getting the ball to her - that was a major Florida accomplishment. Fortunately, as you and others have pointed out, UCLA ‘s offense is clearly no longer a one-trick pony. And the offensive dimension that clicked in the 2nd half was the Lauren Cheney dimension - her ability to post up just outside the area and maintain possession by herself. She created her own shot for the goal that put UCLA ahead 2-1. Then she dished off to Christina DiMartino into the box across the slot for the 3rd goal. (slot - I don’t think you soccer fans use that word; I’m borrowing it from ice hockey). I agree in those last 15 minutes I thought UCLA fell back into a prevent defense. And that’s usually not the case with UCLA so I was perplexed as to why that was. You know the saying, “the only thing a prevent defense does is prevent your team from winning.” Came damn close Friday night. I mean, there was so little pressure on the ball in midfield, (even the shallow midfield just outside the attacking zone) that Florida looked like they were getting free kicks even without the free kicks that the ref was starting to liberally hand out. That and just some ragged play helped florida’s comeback bid. If I recall correctly, Stacy Bishop’s goal cutting the lead to 3-2 came right after a botched UCLA throw-in from UCLA’s side of the field. The throw-in went straight out-of-bounds; Florida quickly took repossession from the original throw-in spot; the quick throw-in was followed by an immediate pass that found Bishop streaking toward UCLA’s backline where she split the defense and put in a fine goal. All 4 Bruin defenders were back but no one was in the midfield, just wide open space for the pass to cut across from the sideline to the top of the box.
The board is finally back up. I had more thoughts when the game was still fresh in my mind, and apparently I can't remember what I wanted to say. Congrats and good luck to the Bruins against Portland, that should be a fine match. I'm proud of the effort the Gators put in and they played very well, UCLA was just the better team on Friday. I liked most of the lineup changes UF made. I think that hand ball in the box really took away all of their momentum. I think if that doesn't happen, UF probably wins. I did want to ask those who were there, the UF announcer said that 2 times, near the end of the each half, a UF player was taken down inside the box with no call. Were those good no calls or were the refs as inconsistent as it sounded? It seemed like they were letting a lot of things go for 15 minutes, then they started calling ticky tack fouls, then back to letting them play, then back to calling crap. Was just wondering. Anyways, good luck against Portland. I know the season just ended for Florida, but I'm salivating just thinking about next year, with most everyone coming back and Mel Booth returning from her stint with Canada.
Thanks, UFGator98, for your comments and good luck. I was there. Your team played very well. You should be proud of them. If you have a good recruiting class coming in, and can replace your talented goalkeeper, with Booth returning from Canada, you should be awesome next year. Yes, the hand ball in the box did shift the momentum a bit. UCLA would have continued working offensively if it wasn't called, so I don't know if you would have won if it had not been called, but who knows. I understand it was a legitimate call, but I couldn't see it from where I was at. I remember only one time that a Florida player went down in the box. In the first half, the Florida coaches went crazy over it. It looked like Hardy went to mark your player who just received the ball and hit her body. I heard that your coaches were saying that that player doesn't take dives. All I know is that she was located in the upper right section of the box nearer to the corner of it than to the goal, with her back to the goal. I just don't see a ref making that call when the player is not making a move to the goal and her back is to it. That was my take, but I really don't know. The center ref was inconsistent in the way you described. UCLA fans thought he was calling everything against the Bruins in the last 10 minutes, but you know how that goes, we all tend to see what we think we see as fans. But it must have been difficult for the players to gauge what would be acceptable. Again, great game. We're happy to host a very dangerous Portland team rather than having to travel to Austin. It should be a battle. Revenge aside, a ticket to the final four is on the line (as well as taking another step toward the 100th national championship for UCLA). Go Bruins!
I don't think that I've seen UCLA in person since last year. They were impressive then. I hope they can perservere and see another final 4. Good luck to the Bruins.
Thanks, speedoblobb. We have a tough game with Portland. Maybe we'll see you in NC in the semi. Go Bruins!
Interesting article by ESPN at: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2669152 It's basically a story about Adams/Cheney/DiMartino. While complementing the UCLA defense, the author wonders if it is enough with the opponents ahead. For me, it continues to be the question mark, however, it involves more than just the back four defenders. It also calls into question the midfield. I actually think that UCLA has played pretty good defense lately. Portland will test it further. What about the game Friday? Willjayz on the other thread predicts another Portland victory. They are playing well. Surprisingly well since Megan Rapinoe's injury. But Portland is not the same team as last year. They don't have all the weapons they had last season. And I don't see them playing a virtual perfect game against the Bruins like they did in the NCAA final. I also can't see the Bruins tanking it like they did in that game. On the contrary, I think the Bruins will match their intensity because of what happened in the final last year. Portland and its fans will be surprised if they think this is the same team as last year. Really, in that final, UCLA relied heavily on Adams to score. This year the offense will come from a variety of sources. Can Portland's defense handle the UCLA offense? Can Portland maintain possession so that UCLA is not attacking? On the UCLA side of the equation, they got beat badly in the midfield by Portland in the final. Lindstrom had a bad game. But she is playing like every game is her last right now. Zerboni is a better player now than she was in that game. DiMartino works hard at defense and is on fire offensively. And Larson is a physical player to deal with. But is Portland just too fast for the Bruin midfield? Will the young Bruin defense play well enough as a unit to contain and stop the shots? Will Henderson make key saves? This game should be exciting for both groups of fans. I'm looking forward to it. This is what it's all about. Two great teams going at it for a ticket to the final four. Any thoughts on the game? Go Bruins!
Florida's energy definitely troubled UCLA early in the third round. And the Gators' defensive play, especially on the backline, was impressive. It wasn't UCLA's game until the second half, when DiMartino took over. Friday's game is the best, IMO, of the quarterfinals, a true pick-em. Portland is solid defensively, especially with Sari in front of the backline (and Lopez might be the best backline player in college soccer -- she's on the left for the Pilots, but I really like her in the middle). Garrett Smith compares Enyeart to Shannon MacMillan and says Chandhoke "is the offensive version of Stephanie Lopez." And Rachael Rapinoe has really exploded during the playoffs. UCLA's backline is suspect, and Portland could really trouble them. To me, the key to this game will be how Portland deals with Woznuk. I would expect Calvert's assignment would be to shadow Woznuk -- Lindstrom doesn't have the speed to keep with Woznuk and will be vital in other areas. If UCLA can really limit Woznuk, they win. If they can't, it'll be tough. It seems destined to be a UNC-Notre Dame final. These are the two best teams, and UNC seems to be at a different level in the playoffs. I talked to a couple former Tar Heels (Reddick and Tarpley), and they were blown away by what UNC has been doing, how well its been playing, how great the freshmen are. My quarterfinal predictions: North Carolina 4, Texas A&M 0 UCLA 2, Portland 1 Florida State 3, Clemson 0 Notre Dame 2, Penn State 0 Slightly off-topic: Did anyone see the UCLA-Clemson men's game. Wow. Since moving Nakazawa to the frontline (with Estrada), the Bruins are incredible. The first 30 mins. vs. Clemson might be the best I've ever seen of UCLA, and I've been watching since the mid-'80s. Nakazawa, Estrada and Zizzo were magicians, and the ball control and passing game was astounding. Add Leopoldo on the left wing, Zaher attacking out the back and Beltran supporting from midfield, plus a solid defense and Reed in goal, and the men seem the likeliest fall team to get the 100th title. Top seed Duke will be tough, especially at home, but the Bruins might be the best team in the country at the moment.
With Virginia and WF winning today, it looks like UCLA might have to run a 4-team ACC gauntlet to claim the title. Would only need Wake Forest to win the other semi-final. Assuming of course, UCLA beats Duke and Virginia.
Very insightful comments from l’AJA and BruinEPLfan before the game. And somehow UCLA did it, they dealt with Angie Woznuk and the superb Portland midfield. I don’t know exactly how they did it, but they did. I thought UCLA would do well just to limit Portland’s superiority in midfield. Instead, somehow UCLA actually won the battle of midfield. What a difference from last year’s championship! The Bruin women made an impressive dedication to get a foot in there and jab away passes in the middle. I think maybe McCall Zerboni deserves Player of the Game consideration. Not only did she score the game-tying goal, but I think it was her more than anyone who was really denying Portland possession. I was far enough away I couldn’t always tell who was challenging the ball; maybe it was just total team effort, but I thought it was really noteworthy how UCLA stepped up the midfield fight for possession last night. "Portland and its fans will be surprised if they think this is the same team as last year. Really, in that final, UCLA relied heavily on Adams to score. This year the offense will come from a variety of sources. Can Portland's defense handle the UCLA offense? Can Portland maintain possession so that UCLA is not attacking?" - Bruin EPLfan On the offensive side, UCLA has clearly established three primary weapons in Danesha Adams, Lauren Cheney and Christina DiMartino. All three did their thing and created danger, but it was DiMartino who especially dazzled, several times challenging two defenders on the dribble and penetrating. Just awesome. Portland is a great team, though, and they had their chances. Lisa Chandhoke, one of Portland’s fabulous freshmen, probably had the best chance for either team in the 2nd half when a pass split the defense and sent her clear on goal with two Bruins a step behind her. Goalie Valerie Henderson kept out to challenge and was able to block the onrushing Chandhoke’s rocket and gobble it up. On another thru-ball a little later, Henderson raced out to snag it in a spectacular 3-way collision with Rachel Rapinoe and a Bruin defender. "Will the young Bruin defense play well enough as a unit to contain and stop the shots? Will Henderson make key saves?" - BruinEPLfan Like others here on the forum, Henderson hasn’t looked quite as sharp to me as last year (at least since coming back from Moscow with the Under-20 team, where it sounds like she played extremely well, earning the coach’s confidence in the 3rd group game and going on to play the rest of the way.) But she plays true to her style which is bold and fearless. That is one of the strengths of her game and it paid it off big on those two Portland chances. Yes, Valiant Val made the key saves.
well will it be 0-4 in College Cup or 1-3 for UCLA after next Friday!! I would seriously think 0-4 for Ellis!!! WE shall see!!!
This is actually Ellis' 5th trip to the college cup with ucla. The bruins have been in the finals three times and lost once in the semi's to unc in 2003. Sophister
This is a common Drake Stadium complaint. On the stadium-side, there isn't one decent seat to watch a soccer game. The field is a mile away, making the place a spectator's nightmare. And the only remedy would be to dynamite it and start over. As for UCLA's effort, this is what Angie Woznuk told the Oregonian:
Regarding the quarterfinal game with Portland... UCLA played its best game overall of the season. It appeared to me that they had a gameplan that they executed perfectly. First of all, credit to Portland for being a very worthy opponent. They would have been a lot tougher with M. Rapinoe and a full strength Enyeart, but the Bruins would be a much tougher team with Lang and Castelenalli. The teams on the field were among the top 5 or 6 in the nation. What a joke not to seed Portland. That being said, at the end of the game, UCLA dominated. Portland is so efficient with scoring goals that they remain dangerous on every offensive push. Case in point, Rapinoe's goal to make it 1-0 Portland. Sheer brillance. A nuckler that sliced and dipped. Henderson had no chance. For the second straight game, UCLA was down a goal. Once again, they wasted little time in applying offensive pressure and getting it back. This time off a corner with McCall scoring. The game was back and forth for the rest of the half, but as the stats would show, UCLA was outplaying the Pilots. However, they couldn't put it in. They had a few opportunities over the top with Adams that came close, and I'll comment below on one of them, but at halftime it was 1-1. The second half was all UCLA. Actually, it was a dominating half of soccer until the end when Portland applied pressure to try to tie it up. But the pressure was almost always on Portland in the half. Yes, UCLA scored on a controversial call for a PK, but as others have pointed out, it would have been controversial not to call it. I had a good look at the play and it looked to me that DiMartino juked the keeper to go around her, the keeper reached out laterally to get the ball, missed it and clipped DiMartino with her arms and hands. An obvious call except that the ball was headed out of bounds. I suppose the ref had to think that she was tripped before it went out of bounds, and he awarded the PK and gave the keeper a yellow. I understand the disappointment of the Portland coach at the call. And technically, the game was determined with that call, as Garrett Smith said. However, the game was also impacted by a number of other calls and no calls. The foul that led to the direct kick and goal by Rapinoe was a bad call just outside of the box. Shouldn't have been called. One of Adams' breakaways ended up with the ref swallowing his whistle. Adams makes one last touch in the box and has her body turned and held by the defender grabbing her jersey. It worked, the keeper got to the ball sooner. The UCLA coaches went beserk. Now that no call in the box helped determine the game. I wish the game had not been just 2-1 with the PK making the difference, however, in this case, UCLA totally outplayed Portland, which was not mentioned in the papers by Garrett Smith. I believe UCLA would have broke through without that PK, but it's all conjecture. DiMartino was once again brilliant. She has been all season. As others have said, she should be up for player of the year honors. She just tore up Portland's defense. Cheney was also dangerous and attracted a lot of defenders. Overall, I've seen the offense be more creative this year, but they did put constant pressure on Portland. As Kolabear pointed out, McCall Zerboni played incredible, always contesting balls and controlling the midfield with Lindstrom who also played very well. In fact, Lindstrom played incredibly well too. The difference this year and last year with her is that she doesn't give up and always battles. What a great year she's had for UCLA. Overall, with concerns about Woznik and the midfield, Zerboni and Lindstrom controlled it. But the midfield was greatly assisted by the backs. Woznik's comment that UCLA applied constant pressure was just not about the midfield. The center backs, Hardy and Calvert, bit hard on Portland players receiving the ball in the midfield. UCLA refused to let Portland turn and set up their attack. The result in the second half was that Portland's attack wasn't there. Hardy's speed helped thwart the 3 through ball breakaways in the second half, with Henderson playing those breakaways perfectly. And the outside backs, Davis and Wilmoth, played their hearts out and did so intelligently rotating from defense to offense and back to defense somewhat flawlessly. It was the best defensive performance of the season. And I'll include the midfield in that statement as well. It was just a team win, which includes the bench which also contributed. Kudos to Jillian and the UCLA coaching staff for their gameplan. They took a lot of heat last year on this board for being outcoached by Portland in the final. This time around, it was Portland that had no answer for what UCLA was doing. This is the fourth straight year for UCLA to be in the final four. What an accomplishment. No other program can match that. But it means no more than what it is if they don't finally win it. It'll be tough. A very worthy and dangerous opponent awaits them in NC for the semi. Congrats to UNC for beating a talented A&M team. I think we're in for a battle in the semifinal. What a game that should be. Go Bruins!
A couple of further thoughts... First, after re-reading the post, I want to clarify that I meant only UCLA has been in the final four each of the last four years. Second, let's hope for good weather for the final four games. The weather forecast for Friday has improved, but it still shows a chance of rain. Of course, when have we known the weather people to get it right so far in advance... Go Bruins!
Phenomenal defensive performance for UCLA, especially Lindstrom, Zerboni, Hardy and Calvert. Closed the middle for Portland, and Woznuk wasn't an issue. Started with Zerboni on Woznuk, then went to handing her off when it became clear they could do so effectively. Bristyn Davis also made some fine defensive plays, especially in the first half. UCLA did dominate the game -- Portland wasn't as good as last year, but we knew that going in -- but their attack really got going in the second half, just like against Florida. They'll need to be on top of things offensively against UNC. Hardy was really awesome, and Calvert has become a real force in the middle. I still think UNC can exploit the backline, especially Averbuch feeding O'Reilly, but the performance against Portland gave me hope UCLA could knock off the Tar Heels. Still, UNC is my pick. Hope I'm wrong. My predictions: North Carolina 3, UCLA 1 Notre Dame 3, Florida State 0
This post is ridiculously late, so I'll briefly look back and then to the Bruin's future. Congrats to North Carolina for a well deserved championship. There was another thread on biggest surprises/disappointments, and my vote for biggest surprise is now North Carolina. Before the season, I did not expect them to win it all this year. They have a lot of talent in a system that's proven to be successful. Heather O'Reilly is a great talent and class act from what I can tell. UCLA had a very good year. Before the season began, no one would have predicted a final four finish if it had been known that the Bruins would be without both Lang and Castelanelli. In retrospect, it was a great run that was ended by a great team. The same as the year before, except the Bruins came to play this year. The semifinal with UNC was a terrific game. A Notre Dame fan on this site said that UCLA was in total chaos. I doubt that the UNC players or coaches felt that way during the game. Like others, I was surprised at the over the top game that the offense focused on, and the offense's lack of patience. UCLA's best chances came when they got the outside backs involved offensively; except of course, for the blown breakaway by Adams. So goes soccer. UNC was dangerous for much of the game, but the Bruin defense played superbly. Next year? UCLA loses Lindstrom and Davis from its starting lineup. Lindstrom had a very good last year. It's sort of an end of an era with Stacy graduating. I'm glad she finished strong. UCLA will have to replace her air game in the middle. Davis played another season out of position in the back, and had a fine season. I'm sure Jillian has an outside defender in the recruiting class since she knew Castelanelli would be graduating. The new lineup will feature a potent offense of Lang, Cheney, Adams, DiMartino, and M. Zerboni. The defense will again be led by Hardy, and will have Wilmoth, and maybe Calvert, along with a new recruit on the outside. I do hear of another great recruiting class for UCLA. I don't have details (hurry up Soccerbuzz), but with Lang back and a key recruit or two in the starting lineup, the team should be even better next year. It'll be fun. Again, congrats to the Bruins on a very successful season. Happy Holidays, everyone. Go Bruins!
SoccerBuzz is reporting that Lauren Switzer is transferring to Florida State. Anyone know the story there?
Switzer was a starting center back next to Hardy through the Santa Clara game. I don't think she played defense from that point on. She played various games at midfield, but her minutes decreased as the season progressed. She transferred to FSU after the fall quarter. Switzer's obviously very talented, but once she was moved out of defense, had trouble finding a spot. She has a very strong kick and is dangerous on long free kicks, but perhaps speed was an issue on defense.
Kara has joined practice and is working on her shot, Cheney is healthy, DiMartino is as explosive as ever, and here are three of our recruits. I hope 2007 is as exciting as ever! Lauren Barnes, a defender from Upland, Calif., is rated as the No. 2 overall recruit in the nation according to Soccer Buzz. The defender from Upland High School was named a Parade All-American in 2006. She was also named to the 2006 NSCAA/adidas Girls Youth All-America team. Barnes, who was named CIF-SS Co-Player of the Year in 2006, has been a member of the U.S. National Team program since the U-15 age group. She plays club soccer for Arsenal FC. Kylie Wright, a midfielder from Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., is rated the No. 8 overall recruit in the nation by Soccer Buzz. She was recently brought into camp with the Under-20 U.S. National Team and, like Barnes, was a member of the 2006 NSCAA/adidas Girls Youth All-America team. A former member of the U-17 U.S. squad, she has been involved with the national team program since the U-15 level. Wright plays club soccer for the Southern California Blues and is a first-team All-Orange County selection at Tesoro High School. Sarah Salazar, a midfielder from Broken Arrow, Okla., is listed as a top-25 recruit nationally by Soccer Buzz. Similar to Barnes and Wright, she has been with the U.S. National Team program since the U-15s, playing mostly with the U-16s and U-17s. She scored a goal in the U-17s 3-2 victory over Germany in 2006. Salazar plays club soccer for the five-time state champion Tulsa Thunder. She is also an all-conference player at Broken Arrow High School. - from http://uclabruins.cstv.com