Arizona soccer returns home this weekend trying to end a two-game losing streak. The task is a tall one as the Wildcats play No. 3 UCLA on Thursday before taking on No. 21 USC on Sunday. Arizona has a total of three wins and a draw against the two Los Angeles schools in series history.
The Wildcats are led by Jill Aguilera who has four goals and an assist this season. Nine of her 27 shots have been on goal. The team is 3-5 on the year and 0-1 in Pac-12 play. They are currently No. 135 in the RPI.
UCLA Bruins
Time: Thursday, Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. MST
Location: Mulcahy Soccer Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.
Viewing information: The match will be aired on the Pac-12 Networks (Pac-12 Arizona, Pac-12 Los Angeles, Pac-12 Network). Stats will be available at Arizona Live Stats.
Record: UCLA has not been defeated yet this season, but they played Oregon to a scoreless tie last Friday to open Pac-12 play. Overall, they are 8-0-1 and 0-0-1 in conference play.
Rankings and RPI: The Bruins are ranked third in the United Soccer Coaches poll. They are No. 50 in the RPI.
Last year: The Bruins edged out the Wildcats by a score of 2-1 in the spring.
What to expect: UCLA outplayed Oregon in every aspect except the score last week. The Bruins had 14 shots to eight by the Ducks and had a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks. The Ducks (5-0-4, 0-0-1) were able to keep them from doing damage, though. Can the Wildcats muster the same kind of defensive effort?
Scoring against the Bruins is difficult for everyone. They have outscored their opponents 18-1 this season. They outshoot opponents 15.3 to 6.3 and put 42 percent of those shots on goal. This could be the difference for the Wildcats whose opponents have outscored them 14-9 this year.
USC Trojans
Time: Sunday, Oct. 3 at 1 p.m. MST
Location: Mulcahy Soccer Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.
Viewing information: The match will air on Pac-12 Arizona. Stats will be available at Arizona Live Stats.
Record: The Trojans are 6-2 this season. They are 1-0 in Pac-12 play after opening with a win over Oregon State.
Rankings and RPI: USC is ranked No. 21 in the coaches’ poll. The Trojans are No. 27 in RPI.
Last year: USC defeated Arizona 1-0 during the spring season.
What to expect: The Wildcats will face former teammate Jada Talley for the first time since she transferred to USC. She has appeared in all eight of the Trojans’ matches, starting in six of them. She has one goal and one assist this season.
As a team, the Trojans are scoring 2.5 goals per match. That is more than twice the 1.13 goals per match the Wildcats are scoring. Arizona will have to raise both its offensive and defensive levels to stay in the game against USC.