The Arizona women’s soccer team survived a brutal two-week stretch that involved four matches against teams ranked in the top 11.
Now, the Wildcats are thinking about the postseason . The UA (5-4-3, 2-2-1 Pac-12) will travel to Oregon State on Friday, the first of six remaining matches for a team looking to return to the NCAAs.
If the last two weeks are any indication, Arizona is ready. The UA split with the Bay Area schools, beating No. 11 Cal before falling to No. 2 Stanford 1-0. Last week, the Wildcats lost to No. 6 USC on an overtime penalty before forging a tie with No. 1 UCLA.
Here’s a look at what the Wildcats must do to finish strong:
1. Lean on Lainey. Junior goalkeeper Lainey Burdett has been on a roll. She had a career-high 11 saves against Stanford. Burdett has saved two penalties in the last two games , one that preserved the tie against UCLA.
“Me and another girl on the bench’s jaws dropped,” forward Hannah Clifford said. “That was the most amazing save I think I’ve ever seen. She kept us in the game for sure.”
Coach Tony Amato said the penalty save was “ridiculous.”
“She is legit; she is so good,” Amato said. “You got to have that when you play the best team in the country.”
2. Get fresh legs on the field. The Wildcats scored on UCLA in the 36th minute thanks to Clifford, a freshman. The score came within 30 seconds of substitutions.
Another bench player, forward Jill Aguilera, knows how important substitutes are for the team. The redshirt freshman attempted three shots in 58 minutes against UCLA.
“Whether it’s off the bench or in the starting lineup, just going out there being the one to make a difference in the game really pumps up the team,” Aguilera said. “Once you get that first goal, the momentum keeps building and building.”
3. Back the Pac. Yes, Arizona needs wins in their remaining six matches. But Amato wants UCLA and Cal to win out, too, boosting the Wildcats’ strength of schedule.
“It’s really important that we enjoy how we’ve been playing over this stretch, but honestly it becomes harder now,” Amato said. “It feels like it’s going to take even more character to go get the results.”
Arizona has received votes in the United Soccer Coaches rankings and because of the intensity of the team’s schedule, Amato said they are in a position to make it to the tournament.
“I think it proves that we’re not the Arizona team people think we are,” Aguilera said. “We just need to keep improving and improving. We got to keep that momentum going.”
