COLLEGE SOCCER: OAKES' RETURN LIFTING UCLA.Byline: Ramona Shelburne Ramona Shelburne is an American sports journalist currently writing for the Los Angeles Daily News. Shelburne was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She attended El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, California where she was a class valedictorian. Staff Writer Two years after a career-threatening knee injury, UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX midfielder Jill Oakes is as good as ever. Not coincidently, the UCLA women's soccer team is one game away from the College Cup (soccer's version of the Final Four) in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. ``We could tell in the spring that she was really putting the injury behind her and had worked very hard to get back,'' UCLA coach Jillian Ellis said of the former Harvard-Westlake of Studio City standout. ``This year, she's just been a different player as far as confidence.'' Oakes and the UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I-A as part of the Pacific Ten Conference. Athletic alumni Jackie Robinson, Rafer Johnson, Yang Chuan-kwang (C.K. visit sixth-seeded Ohio State at 9 a.m. Saturday in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament NCAA Tournament can mean: Men's Sports
Although her statistics don't jump out at you (three goals, two assists), Oakes is having the kind of year many predicted for her coming out of Harvard-Westlake in 2002, when she was the Gatorade National Player of the Year. And the rest of the country is taking notice. After starring for the under-21 national team last summer and her solid season this year, Oakes likely will participate in training camps with the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. national team. Ramona Shelburne, (818) 713-3617 ramona.shelburne(at)dailynews.com |
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