Los Angeles ? Kansas University’s soccer squad won’t be favored to win for the first time in this year’s NCAA Tournament tonight against No. 2 UCLA in the Sweet 16.
That’s just fine with freshman defender Holly Gault, who said the 16th-ranked Jayhawks preferred the underdog role.
Gault said the increased scrutiny that comes with being a higher seed rattled some Jayhawks’ nerves during their first- and second-round games last week, so they’re happy to pass the pressure to the Bruins (18-1-3) for the 9 p.m. CST game at Drake Stadium.
“We’re noticeably the underdog in this game, but we play better every game when we are the underdogs,” Gault said. “We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. That’s just the attitude that most of the team is going to take.”
It’s probably the most realistic perspective the Jayhawks (18-5-1) can take, too. The rankings alone declare UCLA the favorite, but the fact the Bruins are 9-0-1 at home this season says history isn’t on KU’s side, either.
None of UCLA’s 10 home matches were against Kansas, however. The schools have never met on the soccer field, so KU coach Mark Francis said he wasn’t too concerned with the Bruins’ perfection on their home pitch.
Instead, Francis said his primary interest was finding a way for KU to stop UCLA’s balanced forwards and heavy midfield attacks.
Sophomore Iris Mora is UCLA’s most lethal threat with 12 goals and 13 assists, while senior defender Nandi Pryce joins KU’s Caroline Smith as a Hermann Award semifinalist, awarded to the nation’s top player.
“They’re athletic and they’re very good on the ball,” Francis said. “They get a lot of people forward and they put you under a lot of pressure, but we’ve played other teams that have done that, too.
“It’s not going to be anything that we haven’t already seen, just that we haven’t seen them. It’s just a different opponent.”
The Bruins’ lone loss came to top-ranked North Carolina, but they have proved vulnerable against unranked opponents. A close call with UNLV and ties to Cal-Santa Barbara and Stanford indicate weaknesses.
Still, North Carolina is the only team to score more than two goals in a game against UCLA, indicating a defensive battle could be likely. The Bruins have posted 13 shutouts this season to the Jayhawks’ 11, so one defensive mistake could make the difference.
“UCLA’s a very good team, and the more mistakes we have, the more opportunities they have to punish us,” junior goalkeeper Meghan Miller said. “We have to limit our mistakes and hopefully capitalize on theirs.”
“It is certainly a great honor,” Smith said. “I think our entire team has helped put me in this position. I am thankful of this honor.”
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