By Amanda Fletcher
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The No. 14 UCLA women’s soccer team split a pair of preseason openers last weekend, falling to No. 6 Clemson 1-0 on Aug. 26 and then routing Georgia State 5-0 two days later.
Against Clemson, the Bruins came out shaky but held off the Tigers until 36 minutes into the game.
Clemson’s Lindsay Brown picked off a clearing attempt and rocketed it in over UCLA junior goalkeeper CiCi Peterson from 20 yards out.
“I think we had some nerves,” head coach Jillian Ellis said.
With their physical and direct style, Clemson came away with most of the 50/50 balls and the lone goal of the of the game.
After the Tigers’ goal, the Bruins calmed down, putting together some nice plays.
“In the second half we settled in and dominated,” Ellis said.
Of their five legitimate scoring opportunities, two Bruin attempts hit the crossbar.
“Everyone was really fired up for the game. Unfortunately we didn’t come out on top,” freshmen sweeper Nandi Pryce said. “We definitely gave them a run for their money.”
Lady Luck may not have been on UCLA’s side in South Carolina, but the Bruins made sure they wouldn’t need any luck in their game against Georgia State.
Junior forward Staci Duncan led the team with two goals, followed by goals from senior forward Tracey Milburn and freshmen forward Sarah-Gayle Swanson and midfielder Lindsay Greco.
The highly-touted freshmen class had a good showing for the weekend with as many as seven freshmen on the field at one time.
As the first of five top-25 teams, UCLA will face in the upcoming season, Clemson was a disappointing loss but provided experience for a team that faces high expectations.
Picked as Pac-10 champions in a coaches poll over defending champion Stanford, there is a lot of hype that this year’s team must live up to.
With that in mind, these first games of the season helped to give the team its bearings and point them in the right direction – improvement.
“It’s a good indicator of where we are and gives us great experience at a high level,” Ellis said.