UA goes up against Fraser's former team

Ian Mayer Arizona Daily Wildcat Freshman forward Kimberly McGehee (26) traps the ball during the game against ASU last Friday. The Wildcats (3-7-1) will play Washington Friday at 7 p.m. and the Cougars Sunday at 1 p.m. in an attempt to break their three game losing streak.

"There are no players left that we coached," said UA assistant coach Bruce Caris, who also assisted Fraser in her last two years at WSU. "It will not be an issue on the field that we coached there. The focus will be to turn our game results around."

The Wildcats (3-7-1 overall, 0-3 Pacific 10 Conference) will have a chance to break their three game losing streak, and give Fraser her 100th career win, at home at Murphey Stadium when they match up against the Cougars (5-7-2, 3-1-0) Sunday afternoon at 1, and Washington (7-6-1, 3-1-0) Friday night at 7.

In preparation for this weekend, the team has been working on its "final attack and finishing," Caris said.

The team is coming off a tight 2-0 loss to arch-rival Arizona State last weekend.

"I think the team improved a lot in the ASU game," freshman midfielder Kimberly McGehee said. "Even though we lost that game our confidence isn't down.

"The game showed we are capable of winning these next two games if we go out and do what we know needs to be done."

Of the two games the Wildcats will play this weekend, Caris looks to UW as the more "personal" game, despite past coaching experiences at WSU.

"This is the game that will be more significant to me," Caris said. "We know the coaches very well."

But it's not what is going on the sidelines that is important to Caris, it is the action on the field that he is concerned with, he said.

And the Wildcats will be concentrating on the Huskies' offense, which is led by sophomores Tami Bennett and Theresa Wagner and senior Erin Baily, who lead the team with seven, three and four goals, respectively.

The Wildcats have been working on their offense, as well as their mental preparation for the games.

"We've been talking more at practice," McGehee said. "We've been watching videos to know what we need to work on. And the majority of our physical practice is on shooting and shooting drills."

Leading the Wildcats in scoring is senior Nikki Jones, with two goals and five assists for nine points, followed by sophomore and freshman midfielders Brooke McManus and Twila Kaufman, who are tied with four goals apiece.

Kate Longworth can be reached via e-mail at Kate.Longworth@wildcat.arizona.edu.