By
Audrey DeAnda
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Team falls to 0-4 in young season
The UA soccer team suffered a heartbreaking loss in overtime to Pittsburgh and then were dominated by Utah in their first home series of the 2000 season this weekend at Murphey Stadium.
"This is another indication that under pressure and under duress we don't make the right decisions," said head coach Cathy Klein. "We lack a go-to person."
During the weekend's matches, the Wildcats appeared to play disjointed soccer and paid dearly.
"We're going to win games or lose games as a team," Klein said. "We're literally going to attack with seven players or we will lose."
Arizona took the lead early-on Friday against Pittsburgh when sophomore defender Naomi Chu nailed a 25-yard blast to the upper left corner of the net at the 16:31 mark in the first half.
"Obviously, when you score, you know the team is up, and it just pumps you up," Chu said. "I'd been taking (long-distance) shots from out there all through practice, and they've never went in."
The Wildcats, who applied great pressure to Pittsburgh for the first 45 minutes, let a 1-0 lead slip away in the second half.
The Panthers were aggressively defensive and were penalized with three yellow cards. The physical nature of play was frustrating for the UA players.
At the 60:34 mark, UA junior forward Kristi Lorona and Pittsburgh forward Cande Ruiz were ejected after an altercation.
While Ruiz and UA junior midfielder Twila Kaufman were tangled up on the ground, Ruiz appeared to stomp Kaufman, causing Lorona to react.
"It was chaotic after the fight," junior goaltender Shannon Monti said. "You can take the right path and elevate above the other team or you go to the left side and let them elevate and I think we went to the left. That's when you have to regain composure and step up a level and have a better gamesmanship."
For the Wildcats, the rest of Friday's match went downhill following the altercation.
With 16:22 left in the game, Panther midfielder Laura Marsh tied up the game after she snagged the ball in a scramble in front of the net and scored.
Arizona had a chance to win the game with 8:30 left in the game when midfielder Sierra Cristiano blasted a 30-foot shot that bounced off the right goal post.
Tied 1-1, the Wildcats and Panthers entered UA's first overtime game of the season.
Three minutes into overtime, Pittsburgh forward Annette Agredano - a Tucson native - won the game for the Panthers with a 10 yard header into the left side of the goal.
"We had eight more shots on goal, so we generated certainly enough offense to win the game," Klein said following the game. "I thought Pittsburgh handed it to us the second half and in overtime. I thought they beat us fair and square."
Arizona tried to bounce back yesterday versus Utah, but fell short for the second straight game. The Utes took a lead five minutes into the game when Utah midfielder Katie Tate got the ball after it bounced off a UA defender and netted it for a goal.
In the 18th minute, Utah forward Amber Brower lured Monti out of the net then shot the ball in the right side of the goal to put the Utes ahead, 2-0.
Arizona, which implemented four forwards and just two defenders in an effort to generate more goals, sputtered in the second half.
UA junior defender Cassidy Guinn fouled Utah forward Missy Dennis on a breakaway, allowing the Utes to attempt a penalty kick.
Utah forward Missy Dennis scored in the 23rd minute on the penalty kick. Monti dove to the left as Dennis shot to the right, scoring the goal.
In the 75th minute, Chu assisted senior forward Keri Kennedy-Weber's shot from the top of the box to put UA on the board.
"It probably was a little too late, but I think we definitely got into a lot more after it," Kennedy-Weber said. "The fullbacks did an incredible job, so I'm not taking full credit for the goal."
With three minutes left in the game, Utah forward Amber Brower drew Monti out of the goal again, dribbled past her and dented the left side of the net to put the Utes ahead 4-1.
Following the match, a frustrated Klein tried to explain why the young Wildcats fell short.
"We went away from the game plan against Pittsburgh, then had a few lapses (against Utah) to blow the game open at three-nothing," Klein said. "In 15 years as a coach, my team has come back once from a 3-0 deficit."
The loss to the Utes left UA winless (0-4-0) in 2000 and lifted the Utes to a 2-3-1 overall record.
The Wildcats, who finished 1999 with a 7-10-2 record, have been projected to finish last in the Pacific 10 Conference.
"This is a new all-time low for me," Klein said following Sunday's loss. "I can't say I've got any answers. All I know is to work harder than the next person and our team is going to work harder than the next person."
The Wildcats return to action Thursday when they travel to Albuquerque, N.M. to face New Mexico and Evansville.
