UCLA Women’s Soccer Beats Mexican Nationals

Jessica Stamp
Mirror contributing writer

   The UCLA Women’s Soccer team defeated the full Mexican National Team, 2-1, in an exhibition contest at UCLA’s Drake Stadium on September 28.
   The game saw a definite clash of playing styles between the American and Mexican teams. The contest turned physical early and consequently altered UCLA’s usually possessive style into more direct play.
   UCLA freshman, Iris Mora, played with the Mexican National Team in the match. Mora, a longtime captain for Mexico, scored in the ninth minute against her UCLA teammates to give Mexico the early lead. “It was cool to score against my teammates,” she said after the game. “I wasn’t about to take it easy on them.”
   Mora leads the Bruins in goals scored this year, with six. Though Mora comes off the bench for UCLA, she has proven capable of finishing her few chances on goal. She proved it again when playing for the Mexican National Team Saturday. Mora got two chances at scoring and netted one. She received a countering long pass from Mexican veteran Maribel Dominguez and beat the Bruin defense to go one-on-one with Sarah Lombardo, UCLA’s goalkeeper. Mora chipped it past the oncoming Lombardo to make it 1-0.
   However, the Mexican lead was short-lived when Bruin junior midfielder, Whitney Jones, headed in a long throw-in from freshman Stacy Lindstrom just three-and-a-half minutes later. The Bruins took control from then on, but failed to convert another goal. The half ended in a 1-1 tie, despite UCLA out-shooting Mexico 10-1.
   The second half saw more even play, with the Mexican team totaling two shots and UCLA having only three. However, Lindstrom put one of those chances away in the 57th minute. UCLA junior defender, Nandi Pryce, sent a free kick into Mexico’s box, which freshman midfielder Jill Oakes flicked on to the back post. Lindstrom ran it down and beat Mexican goalkeeper Alba Garcia Felix to the ball. Her goal proved to be the game-winner, as the Bruins went on to win 2-1.
   Mora had a golden opportunity to tie the game when she had another breakaway against Lombardo. This time Mora shot low and hard, but couldn’t slide it past the diving goalkeeper.
   Mora was rated as the number-eight freshman recruit by Soccer America for the 2002 season. She moved to Los Angeles from Cancun, Mexico, where she attended the Colegio de Bachilleres. Mora played in all of Mexico’s matches in the 1999 World Cup. Though the team never faced the United States in 1999, Mora did score against the Americans in a 2000 match-up.
   It is not uncommon for college teams to recruit out of the country. In collegiate women’s soccer, the University of Nebraska is known for looking outside the United States, especially in Canada, and Notre Dame has a history of recruiting Europeans.
   The Mexican National Team is somewhat unique in that it features many American players of Mexican descent. Monica Gerardo and Monica Gonzalez both graduated from Notre Dame and competed in Saturday’s match. Martha Moore of Houston, Texas decided to play for the Mexican Team because she felt she wouldn’t be able to make the American squad. Moore, absent from Saturday’s game, is a junior at Texas A&M. She also competed in the 1999 World Cup.
   “It’s an interesting set of circumstances that allows Martha to play for Mexico,” commented Texas A&M head coach G. Guerrieri. “This is a great opportunity for Martha to gain further international experience. I expect her to also be playing with the Mexican full team later this fall when they begin qualifying for the 2003 Women’s World Cup. I believe strongly that her participation and experience on the world stage with Mexico is a benefit to our program at Texas A&M.”
   Just as these American-trained athletes are expected to vault the Mexican team into the elite among international women’s soccer, so are the foreign imports like Iris Mora expected to help lead their college programs to the Final Four and a NCAA championship.
   Mirror contributing writer Jessica Stamp is a member of the UCLA Women’s Soccer Team.