UCLA Women Emerging as Soccer Giant

Of the 83 NCAA championships that UCLA has won, the one that got away would have been something.

Only 15 minutes stood between the Bruin women’s soccer team and a victory of significant proportions. UCLA had North Carolina, the sport’s powerhouse, in its grip and the thought of such an upset was stirring in the crowd at San Jose’s Spartan Stadium.

Even the Tar Heels were feeling it.

“Yeah, I could hear the crowd,” North Carolina defender Danielle Borgman said. “I know they were cheering for UCLA. I know they’d like that to happen.”

In those 15 minutes, UCLA was going up against a program that was dominant in the 1980s, the ‘90s, and now into the 2000s. How dominant?

* The Tar Heels have been in every NCAA final but one--18 of 19.

* In 19 tournaments, they have won 66 games and lost three.

* Between 1990 and 1994, the Tar Heels did not lose or tie a match. This was after having gone 103 consecutive matches without losing between 1986 and ’89.

* The list of standouts goes on. April Heinrichs. Mia Hamm. Carla Overbeck. Kristine Lilly. Lorrie Fair. Meredith Florance.

The number of universities fielding Division I programs has increased more than tenfold in the last two decades but the increase hasn’t brought parity. North Carolina is still virtually unbeatable.

In the end, maybe the Carolina mystique was too much for UCLA. Even though a UCLA own goal in the 82nd minute gave the Tar Heels a 2-1 victory and their 16th NCAA title, North Carolina’s persistence paved the way for a stirring comeback.

Minutes earlier, Florance, a senior striker with a future in the fledgling Women’s United Soccer Assn., turned the game around when she hustled into position to finish on the Tar Heels’ first goal. Then, the game winner, which deflected off Bruin defender Krista Boling’s leg, came about only because Tar Heel defender Catherine Reddick gained possession on the wing and passed it toward two teammates waiting in position to score.

The Tar Heels, who lost three times this season, won this title on hustle. In the semifinals, they rallied from a 1-0 second-half deficit and beat top-ranked Notre Dame.

“I think everyone on our team takes it upon themselves at some point to beat your defender and to take a physical risk to get into the box,” Florance said. “I think we all step up at certain times.”

UCLA won and lost this season by playing an attacking style. When the Bruins took the lead on Lindsay Greco’s goal in the 54th minute, they didn’t circle the wagons to protect their advantage. They set up some of their best opportunities after that goal.

It was exactly what Coach Jillian Ellis wanted.

“For 10 minutes after that, we were attacking and coming at them,” she said. “That’s exciting to me. This team has a lot of character and they are not intimidated.”

Encouraging signs remain for UCLA. The Bruins lose only three seniors--though they are Pacific 10 player of the year Tracey Milburn, first-team defender Karissa Hampton and midfielder Venus James--and they have four of their top five scorers returning.

Hampton wrote in her diary published on the UCLA athletic Web site, “Although we may not have brought home a championship, I think we set the tone for UCLA women’s soccer in years to come.”

But as UCLA found out Sunday and as Notre Dame, Florida, Connecticut and all other contenders for an NCAA title have come to understand, North Carolina isn’t going away any time soon.

OTHER HONORS

Redlands senior running back Brandon Ford was chosen offensive player of the year in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and La Verne senior defensive lineman D.J. Kolb was selected defensive player of the year.

Ford was second in the SCIAC with 1,245 yards and ran for 12 touchdowns as he led the Bulldogs to their second consecutive conference title. Kolb, a first-team all-SCIAC pick last year, was a standout on a 2-7 Leopard team that was second in the conference in points allowed.

Ruth Van’t Land-Parkes capped a record-breaking career at Cal Poly Pomona with her second consecutive award as California Collegiate Athletic Assn. women’s soccer player of the year.

Van’t Land-Parkes, the Division II national player of year last season, scored 17 goals this season and finished her career with a CCAA-record 76. She also set a conference record for most points with 181 and had a school-record 29 assists.

Other local athletes selected player of the year:

West Coast Conference--Arturo Torres, sophomore, Loyola Marymount, men’s soccer.

SCIAC--Andrea Ohta, sophomore, Occidental, women’s volleyball; Betsy Fisch, senior, Cal Lutheran, women’s soccer.

CCAA--Linda Saucedo, senior, Cal State L.A., women’s volleyball.

Golden State Athletic Conference--Kendra Payne, senior, Azusa Pacific, women’s soccer; Matt Evans, junior, Azusa Pacific, men’s soccer.

USC women’s volleyball player April Ross was selected freshman of the year in the Pacific 10. Ross’ addition has helped lift the Trojans to a No. 3 national ranking. . . . UCLA men’s soccer midfielder-defender Alex Yi was chosen Pac-10 freshman of the year.

NOTABLE

Julie Cochran resigned as women’s soccer coach at Long Beach State in order to move closer to her family in Northern California. Cochran was Big West coach of the year after leading the 49ers to a 7-8-3 record and a third-place finish. She was 23-32-3 in three years. . . . USC men’s and women’s swimming teams won titles at the Speedo Cup in Long Beach last Saturday. Michala Kwasny and Tamas Kerekjarto each won the 400-yard intermediate medley and 200-yard butterfly events. . . . UCLA’s women’s swimming and diving team, ranked No. 1 in the nation, won the Texas Invitational, beating host Texas, Stanford and Arizona. . . . Redlands hired Jeff Stanners as interim track and field coach for the 2001 season. He replaces Matt Belfield.