Following a 1-0 home loss to Cal on Oct. 2, the UAโs soccer team sat at 3-5-2. The Wildcats were dead last in the Pac-12 Conference standings, with all hopes of a postseason berth fading away.
Coach Becca Moros didnโt panic.
“We’ve got to keep pushing, and I think the biggest thing is that we’ve got to bear down and keep believing in what we’re doing,” she told ArizonaWildcats.com after the loss. “Sometimes these things happen where you can’t quite string all of your best minutes together. ... Overall, there have been a lot of positives in the last couple of games. ... The momentum, the energy, the fight, the grit — that willingness to come together and believe is there. If we invest in that and continue to foster and grow that in each other, we have an opportunity to turn around and put that belief in.”
Sure enough, the Wildcats have caught fire, going 4-1-1 over their last six matches. Sunday, the UA (7-6-3, 4-4-1) will host Oregon at 1 p.m.; the Wildcatsโ regular-season finale is scheduled for Friday in Tempe.
Junior Nicole Dallin believes the positive, hard-working culture within the program is starting to pay dividends. She said there is โno doubtโ the Wildcats will โwin outโ the rest of the season and challenge for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.
โOf course, every team in the Pac-12 deserves respect. But weโre not here to mess around, weโre here to play,โ she said. โI donโt think any of these teams stand a chance.โ
The Wildcatsโ hot streak began Oct. 6, when Dallin scored the only goal in Arizonaโs 1-0 upset win over No. 8 USC in Los Angeles. It was the first goal of the season for Dallin, who credits her teammates for fostering a great environment and remaining thankful for her health.
โLast year, I would have just been coming back from injury, and my freshman year, I didnโt play at all because of the same injury,โ she said. โSo just being able to focus on my ๏ฌtness and the physical aspects that soccer demands, especially at the collegiate level, thatโs really helped me to be able to give my all to the team.โ
Two days later, Arizona fell 1-0 to top-ranked UCLA on a late goal by the Bruins. The Wildcats returned home, where they beat Colorado 2-0. Last weekend was spent in the Pacific Northwest, where they beat Washington 1-0 before forging a 0-0 tie with Washington State in Pullman.
Dallin and the UA saved their biggest offensive performance for Thursday, when they beat Oregon State 3-2 at Mulcahy Stadium. Dallin delivered goals in the 16th and 28th minutes. Despite being the lowest-scoring team in the Pac-12, Arizona is outscoring its opponents 7-3 since Oct. 6. Dallin leads the Wildcats in goals (four) and points (8).
The Wildcats are now pushing for the postseason, which would be the eighth in program history and the first for Moros, who is making remarkable strides in her second season. The Wildcats went just 5-13 overall and 2-9 in league play a year ago.
