As far as debuts go, head coach Susan Bush and the incoming freshman class could probably have chosen an easier opponent.
While the third-ranked UCLA Bruins will bring a number of fans out to Robertson Stadium today, they are far from being an equal match for the young Cougars.
After bowing out of the 2006 College Cup semifinals to eventual champion North Carolina, the Bruins are returning nine of their 11 starters. They have managed to bring in one of the top recruiting classes in the nation.
The Bruins’ attack is their biggest strength, led by pre-season All-Americans senior midfielder/forward Danesha Adams, sophomore forward Lauren Cheney and junior forward Christina DiMartino.
Those three alone combined for 94 points last year, and all are candidates to wind up with the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top female Division I player.
The Cougars should consider themselves fortunate that they are spared the return of the Bruins top scorer in 2005, forward Kara Lang.
Lang finally recovered from injury and is competing with Canada’s World Cup team at the Women’s World Cup in China.
On defense, UCLA has senior goalkeeper Valerie Henderson, owner of a 0.72 goals against average last year. Not only has she been to the last three College Cups, but she has also played in two of the last three finals.
Helping her out will be junior Erin Hardy and sophomore Lauren Wilmoth, two defenders who have started every game for the Bruins since their freshman year.
Some hope can be realized for the Cougars as UCLA was only a game over .500 (4-3) last year on the road, but two of those losses were to other national powerhouses (No. 3 Penn State and No. 5 Santa Clara). The other was a double overtime thriller to Oregon.
There are many reasons to be excited about the Cougars this year: The team is young enough to where a new star could come out of nowhere; the defense should improve with another year to gel together; and Brittney Pfeiffer and Nikki Echeverria should both come into their own up front.
Unfortunately, while that may hold up in Conference USA, it’s not quite enough to put them in the same league as a perennial contender like UCLA.
Look for the Cougars to try and win the possession battle.
If they can do that, then they very well may keep this game close, but the odds are decidedly against them giving their coach a win in her debut.
UCLA is one of the best teams in America, and the Cougars would have to play their best game to give them a real test.
