file photo/Arizona Daily Wildcat Freshman forward Erin Clewett and the Wildcats will attempt to upset No. 7 UCLA and No. 19 USC this weekend.

All year long youth and talent have blended together nicely for the UA soccer team, but now is when the components might start to become saturated.

With the possibility of falling below .500 for the first time all season on the line, the weekend line-up for the Arizona soccer team (5-5-1) is showing no mercy.

Two ranked teams travel to the desert in No. 7 UCLA (9-3-0) tonight at 7 and No. 19 USC (6-4-3) Sunday at 1 p.m. Both teams played host to the Pac-10 Bay Area schools last weekend and both upset a then-No. 5 Cal team by a collective score of 3-0.

"We really believe every team we have lost to is going to be a (NCAA) tournament team," Wildcat head coach Cathy Klein said.

Last weekend Arizona was upended by Soccer America's No. 14 Arizona State, in Tempe 3-1.

"We've had a great week of practice and we're ready to compete," Klein said.

The Bruins have never lost to the Wildcats and hold a perfect 8-0-0 mark in the all-time series.

"They are one of the best in the Pac-10 right now," Klein said. "We respect them as a team, but we don't fear them. UCLA brings its 2001 Pac-10 title defense to Tucson after being edged by Stanford 1-0 last week. The two other Bruins losses on the year have come at the hands of a then-No. 12 Penn State, 1-0 on Sept. 6, and a then-No. 11 Santa Clara, 2-1 on Oct. 4, both in golden-goal overtime when the Baby Blue was No. 2 in the nation.

In four seasons with the Bruins, head coach Jillian Ellis has posted a 63-15-2 record including last year's Pac-10 Championship and a No. 3 ranking going into the NCAA Tournament last year until a No. 6 Florida team in the quarterfinals upset them.

The previous time these teams met was last year when No. 2 Bruins dispensed with the Wildcats in Los Angeles 2-0 and allowed Arizona only four shots.

The Bruins have missed two of their star players, Jill Oakes and Nandi Pryce, both playing for the U.S. national team and both absent for two games.

"We are going to have our hands full," Klein said. "But we have to focus on UCLA first and USC second."

Southern California will make their way down the interstate after facing Arizona State tonight in Tempe and UCLA will do the opposite, playing ASU on Sunday.

The No. 12 Trojans are another formidable force from SoCal looking for their fifth consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament, and the women of Troy have only lost to the Wildcats once. In 1995, UA edged them 3-2 in Tucson. In addition to their 2-0 defeat of No. 5 Cal, the Trojans have beaten an astounding five Top 10 schools this year.

"They're a very talented, very hard working team," said Klein. "That is also well coached."

Head coach Jim Millinder holds an 89-38-9 mark in his seventh year of pushing the women of Troy's horse to four straight tournament appearances.

USC does not have an easy schedule laid in front of it this season, as it will play 13 ranked opponents, including national champions Santa Clara. Of those 13, 11 were selected to the NCAA Tournament last year.

When the Wildcats met the Trojans on the field last year Arizona was held to only three shots, one on goal and USC knotted up 18, although defeating the Wildcats only 2-0.

"We'll definitely compete with them," Klein noted. "And hopefully we can steal a point where we can."

Klein's Wildcats hold with them some of the best goal-scorers in the Pac-10 in red-shirt freshman Kelly Nelson who is only one goal away from tying the UA single-season goal record. True-freshmen Erin Clewett and Lisa Kosena are each two assists away from tying the UA single-season record of six.

Nelson's average of 0.91 goals-a-game places her 24th in the nation for that category and the team average of 2.64 goals-a-game puts the Wildcats in 30th.

Vying for the goalkeeper spot this weekend will be true freshman Amanda Martin who has started 10 of the Wildcats matches this year and has planted 55 saves, two shutouts and a 1.29 goals-against-average. Red-shirt freshman Natalie Juarez started last week versus ASU and has made six appearances tallying a 1.87 GAA with 16 saves. The two have combined for three additional shutouts bringing the team total to five, which is one less than the team record of six set in 1997. The decision on the goalkeeper will be a game time decision according to coach Klein.

Admission is free to all Arizona soccer games. Murphey Stadium is located at East 15th Avenue and South Plumer Avenue.