The Arizona soccer team could not have started its weekend any better, but mistakes quickly forged perhaps the Wildcats’ worst two-game showing all season.

Various physical and mental lapses led to Arizona dropping its second straight weekend set, to No. 4 USC 3-1 on Friday and No. 1 UCLA 3-0 yesterday.

The six goals were the most the Wildcats had yielded in a weekend this year.

“”We had a miscleared ball Friday and misplayed ball (yesterday). Sometimes these (mistakes) are physical and sometimes they’re mental,”” head coach Dan Tobias said. “”You just can’t give teams like (UCLA and USC) extra opportunities, and that’s what (the mistakes) started turning into.””

UCLA (14-1-2, 7-0 Pacific 10 Conference) quickly took control yesterday, as the Bruins’ Lauren Cheney put her team ahead only eight minutes in. UCLA added a second goal later in the first period while peppering the Wildcat net with 11 shots in the half.

It was the worst first-half performance from Arizona (6-12-1, 1-6-1) since its 4-0 loss to Virginia on Sept. 16, when the Wildcats allowed three goals in the half.

Tobias said his team did the one thing it could least afford: give up an early goal.

Allowing Cheney’s score “”was the difference,”” he said. “”Against a team like UCLA you give up an early goal like that and it makes the game that much more difficult against a team like that.””

Playing from behind has become a theme this year for Arizona, as the team has trailed at some point in 13 games this season, managing a comeback only once.

Things weren’t any better for the Wildcats on Friday.

After holding the Trojans (12-2-2, 4-1-1) scoreless in the first half, Arizona struck first when midfielder Analisa Marquez took a pass from forward Jasmine Namdar and pushed it past USC goalkeeper Kristin Olsen.

The Trojans answered just more than two minutes later as a ball from USC’s Ashley Nick got through goalkeeper Halley Brown’s legs. The Trojans took the lead five minutes later off a shot by Alyssa Davila.

Friday’s loss was the first time all season Arizona lost when scoring first.

“”We did a great job in the first 60 minutes,”” Tobias said. “”What changed in the next 12 minutes of the game was USC’s work ethic and intensity, and I don’t think we matched that.

“”They began creating free-kick opportunities, and with our margin for error the past few weeks, as soon as we gave up a free kick, I knew that was not a
great sign.””