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The race for the Pac-10 title has begun.

The No.7 UCLA women's soccer team is in Arizona to launch a desert assault against Arizona tonight. The team will then face Arizona State Sunday.

UCLA (9-3, 1-1 Pac-10) has never lost to the University of Arizona (5-5-1, 0-1 Pac-10). The Bruins have beaten Arizona State (8-1-2, 1-0) four out of the five times they have played.

Yet, the Bruins are licking their wounds coming off a pair of recent losses to defending national champion Santa Clara two weeks ago, and to top-ranked Stanford last weekend.

Losing to Stanford probably has stung the most; UCLA out played and out shot Stanford 12-5 and still lost 1-0. Stanford now has the inside track for the Pac-10 title. UCLA will likely have to win the rest of their matches in order to stay in the running for the Pac-10 championship.

“(Stanford) was a bad loss, but I feel like everyone is ready to go this weekend and we need to win the rest of our games,” junior defender Kathryn Lee said.

“Everyone’s spirits are up, we’re ready to go, and we’re going to win the rest of our games. That’s pretty much the mood of the team, there’s nothing else but winning,” she continued.

In other words, there will be no overlooking inferior opponents.

“These games are extremely important, they’re Pac-10 games, we’re coming off a loss and we want to win both of these games. We’re ready for this weekend and we want to win the Pac-10,” senior defender Tracy Winzen said.

An extra burden for this weekend is that the Bruins will have to face the Arizona schools without two key players. Junior team captain midfielder Sarah-Gayle Swanson, who sustained an ankle injury in last Sunday’s match against the Cardinal, will not be in action this weekend.

The Bruins will also be without their top finisher, freshman forward Iris Mora, who will be off fulfilling Mexican national team duties.

And so, the stark possibility of losing in Arizona looms large in the Bruins’ minds.

“That’s the biggest thing I harp on about is that you have to make sure you’re prepared mentally for this game,” UCLA head coach Jillian Ellis said.

“You have to know that these teams are capable of beating you. Part of (our preparation) is that I ask each player to be responsible for their mental preparedness in coming into a game, but (overlooking teams) is definitely in the back of my mind.”