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Wednesday, October 30, 1996

WOMEN'S SOCCER:

Traci Arkenberg's stellar game keeps playoff hopes aliveBy Brad Zucker

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Jean Paul Verhees sat in his office scratching his head on Tuesday evening. After all, how could any coach possibly forsee the impact of a little wet grass on a soccer match, let alone an entire season?

But as the head coach of the University of San Francisco Lady Dons (9-7-2, 2-3-1 WCC) watched goalkeeper Amy Voiland slip while defending against a routine shot in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to UCLA (10-6-1, 3-2-0 Pac-10), he saw his team's playoff chances fall to the ground as well.

What made things even more difficult to bear was the fact that USF held the Bruin offense scoreless for 73 minutes, while mustering 2 goals of their own.

The dramatic comeback for the Bruins began on a direct free kick that Traci Arkenberg launched into the back of the net following a handball on USF's Sara Keenan. Just four minutes later, junior transfer Rhi Tanaka sent a shot in from 25 yards away to force the overtime period.

"I thought we dominated the match overall," Verhees said of the loss. "Not that (UCLA) didn't deserve to win the game, but I think they got a little bit of luck."

That luck came in the form of an 'accidental' assist on the part of Arkenberg. Voiland slid to the earth while trying to cover the ball, which rolled to a wide-open Sarah Connell.

The fact that Arkenberg was even in the game may have come as a surprise to the Lady Dons; the junior forward was injured in Sunday's game against California, and her status for Tuesday's contest had been questionable.

"I didn't notice (Arkenberg) being slowed down," Verhees said. "But she's never been a real speedster.

She just has a knack for being in the right place at the right time."

The Bruin scoring leader couldn't have picked a better time to step up her play, as the win kept UCLA's chances of reaching the NCAA tournament alive. They can still reach the tourney by way of an at-large birth alive.

For USF, the playoff dreams are over.

"The bottom line is that to get in the playoffs, you have to win," Verhees said. "But the truth is that there are a lot of teams who win a lot of games but don't really deserve to reach the tournament."

Whether it is justified or not, UCLA victories over Oregon State and Stanford could prove to be the deciding factor.

The Bruins return home on Friday afternoon to take on the Beavers (5-11) before squaring off against the top-ranked Cardinal.

* * *

UCLA's Traci Arkenberg has racked up 16 goals on the season, widening her lead as UCLA's all-time scoring leader. She also already owns the school's single season record with 18 goals as a sophomore. With two games remaining on the schedule, the Palos Verdes native has a decent chance at surpassing that mark.

Additionally, Arkenberg is the UCLA career leader in assists and total points.

* * *

After receiving first-team All-Pac-10 honors last year, Arkenberg is on the brink of receiving All-American honors for the first time in her career.

FRED HE/for The Bruin

Traci Arkenberg scored a goal and had an assist last night against the University of San Francisco.