Women's soccer seeking its own Manifest Destiny

The women's soccer team has been nearly perfect against its traditional East Coast rivals this fall, outscoring its opponents 18-1 on the way to a 6-0 record.

But a world does exist outside of the Ivy League. In fact, of the top 25 teams in the country, only one hails from the Ancient Eight — No. 25 Princeton. More than half of the top 25 teams make their homes on either the West Coast or in the South — schools that the Tigers don't normally play during the regular season.

But with the hopes of making the women's team a true national contender, the Princeton Tigers travel to California this weekend to play in the UCLA Women's Cup, a four-team tournament that might prove to be this season's most formidable test.

The first time that the Tigers have traveled across the country mid-season, the trip is more than just a vacation.

The Tigers will take on the Cal-Poly Mustangs on Friday and then the second-ranked UCLA Bruins on Saturday in the inaugural Women's Cup hosted by UCLA. Princeton will not play the fourth team in the event, the Loyola Marymount Lions.

Princeton, the only East Coast school in the midst of the three Los Angeles-based universities, makes the trip on the invitation of UCLA head coach Jillian Ellis, who was a teammate of Princeton's head coach Julie Shackford at William & Mary in the late '80s.

"Going out west will be a great way to see how we match up head-to-head with teams from that region," senior captain Linley Gober said.

The first match comes Friday afternoon at UCLA's Drake Stadium against unranked Cal Poly. The Mustangs, who are part of the Big West Conference, currently hold a record of 3-5-1. Their most recent results include a 1-0 loss to UNLV and a scoreless draw with Northern Arizona last weekend in Las Vegas. Cal Poly has been shut out five times this season and is last in the Big West Conference in team offense, averaging just 0.9 goals per game.

With two goals, junior forward Megan Schlegel is the lone Mustang with more than one goal this season. And against the intimidating Tiger defense, a lack of offense is a serious liability.

But the true test comes from the Bruins on Saturday afternoon. UCLA has speed, talent, and skills that the Tigers have not yet seen in an opponent this season.

UCLA, a member of the PAC-10, lost last season in the NCAA Championship game to North Carolina, 2-1, but have come out firing early. Through their first seven games, the Bruins, 7-0, are off to the best start in their program's history.

The team is led by senior forward Mary-Frances Monroe—a three-time All-American transfer from the University of Connecticut (ranked No. 9) — who, in her first match at UCLA, scored the game-winning goal to defeat No. 3 Portland, 1-0. She has since tallied either a goal or an assist in the last six matches, leading the team with 14 points.

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If Princeton's 18-1 outscoring of opponents is impressive, the Bruins hold an even more remarkable goal differential. They have outscored their opponents 21-2, recording five shutouts, and have outshot the opposition 169-50.

They have not lost at home in 16 games, a mark spanning two years. Though the showdown with the Bruins is intimidating, a strong performance against one of the nation's elite squads might work wonders for the Princeton program.

"It's pretty tough to earn national recognition when your schedule is limited to one region," Gober said. "UCLA and Cal Poly are both great teams and we could really make a name for ourselves nationally if we could get some wins out there."