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UCLA 2 James Madison 1 UCLA 2 William & Mary 0

By Jeff Agase

Daily Bruin Reporter Virtually untested in its first five matches, the No. 2 UCLA women’s soccer team had to sweat a bit on the way to wins over James Madison and William & Mary this weekend in Virginia. “We didn’t play particularly well,”UCLA head coach Jillian Ellis said. “We can definitely play better soccer, but they got it done, and given that we had to travel across the country, and given it was cold, I’m proud of the fact that they put in a workman-like performance.” On Friday night against a very game James Madison (3-4-1), the Bruins (7-0) jumped on the Dukes early with a couple of goals and then held on for a 2-1 victory. Senior forward Mary-Frances Monroe notched the game’s first goal when she sent a volley from the tip of the penalty box past James Madison goalkeeper Suzanne Wilson in the 19th minute. The goal marked the fifth time in the Bruins’ first six games that Monroe had scored at least one goal, but she wasn’t finished yet. Just 12 minutes later, she sent a one-timer to fellow senior and Hermann Trophy candidate Stephanie Rigamat, who touched the ball in from six yards out to give the Bruins a 2-0 edge. What appeared to be a smooth coast to victory hit a bump, however, when JMU senior Jamie Miller rocketed a free kick from outside the penalty box and past Bruin netminder CiCi Peterson. The goal came in the 67th minute and pulled the Dukes within one, but they got no closer. “It was a free kick from about 25 to 28 yards out, and she just hit it really well,” Ellis said. “It went over our wall and it was a tremendous shot.” “Goals can happen at the most random moments. You give up a free kick, and a team can score right away. That’s the nature of our sport – you can play well and lose, or you can play poorly and win.” Sunday afternoon’s match against No. 22 William & Mary marked a return for Coach Ellis to her college playing days. She starred as a forward for the Tribe (6-2-1) from 1984-87 and put William & Mary on the Bruin schedule to bring her squad to soccer-crazed Virginia. Some of Ellis’ old acquaintances got to see first-hand just what Ellis had traveled across the country for when the Bruins beat the Tribe 2-0. Monroe again began the Bruin charge when she capitalized on a free kick in the 38th minute to put UCLA on the board with her team-leading sixth goal of the season. Senior midfielder Breana Boling added an insurance goal in the second half, her first of the year. Peterson needed to make only two saves on four shots in her fifth shutout of the year. Monroe credited a staunch Bruin defense for her scoring opportunities. “I’m happy to be a part of a team that plays so well together, especially the defense,” she said. “That’s how our goals come. First they get the ball to us, and then we get to score the goals.” The Bruins managed only 11 shots on a cold and windy Virginia afternoon, but will return to the sunny skies of Westwood for next weekend’s UCLA Women’s Cup, where they will put their undefeated record on the line in home openers against Loyola Marymount and Princeton.

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