Women’s soccer program striving to take next step at UCLA
UK forward Zoe Swift, Ohio State defender Bridget Skinner and Ohio State goalkeeper Jillian McVicker fight for the ball during UK women’s soccer vs. Ohio State at UK Soccer Complex in Lexington, Ky., Friday, November 15, 2013. Photo by Nick Gray
November 22, 2013
By Kevin Erpenbeck | Women’s soccer beat writer
UK women’s soccer will continue its NCAA Tournament run when they take on the University of California, Los Angeles on Friday.
After a 3-1 victory at home against Ohio State University in the first round, the Cats (14-6-1, 7-5-0 SEC) travel to Los Angeles to face the No. 2 Bruins (18-1-2, 9-0-2 Pac-12) for the second consecutive year. The Cats lost 5-0 to UCLA in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
UK senior forward Caitlin Landis said the team’s mindset had to be completely focused in practice after flying to Los Angeles on Wednesday.
“We knew we had to have a good practice once we got out here,” Landis said. “We came out with high energy and accomplished everything we needed to get done.”
UK will enter Drake Stadium with the leading scorer for both teams in junior forward Arin Gilliland. Gilliland has 12 goals on the season after scoring once in last Friday’s win.
Cats freshman forward Zoe Swift also scored last Friday and has nine goals on the season, which is third on the team.
The Bruins, who won the Pac-12 Championship, are coming off a 3-0 win against in-state rival San Diego State University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
The win marked the 14th shutout for UCLA on the season, which is the fifth highest total in the nation. The Bruins also have a .324 goals-against average on the season, third-best in the nation.
UK senior goalkeeper Kayla King said while UCLA’s defense is stout, she is confident in the Cats’ ability to attack.
“They’re extremely athletic,” King said. “They’re all individually great, and so combined, they’re all pretty good. Their statistics may be impressive, and great for them, but all it takes is one goal for us, and we can absolutely do that.”
Should the Cats win on Friday, it would be the farthest the program has ever advanced in the NCAA Tournament.
Landis, who has been to three NCAA Tournaments with head coach Jon Lipsitz during her collegiate career, said she feels like a legacy has already been left at the program.
“In the past years, it was always about getting to that next level with the program,” Landis said. “Now that we’ve won two NCAA games, it’s like expected for us. In my freshman year, we were excited to get to the SEC tournament. It’s really cool that we keep getting to the next level throughout the years.”
