Former Sailor Hardy bolsters UCLA title run

Newport Harbor High product Erin Hardy is hoping the fourth time is the charm.

The UCLA senior defender has been a starter all four seasons of her collegiate career, helping the Bruins win four Pac-10 titles and reach the College Cup (final four) every year. But Hardy is hoping to help UCLA collect its first NCAA title during her tenure when action begins Friday in Cary, N.C.

UCLA (22-0-2), which has allowed only five goals this season and recorded 19 shutouts, opens against North Carolina (23-1-2), Friday at 4 p.m. (Pacific Time) in a game televised live on ESPNU. It’s UCLA’s seventh all-time meeting with the Tarheels, who have won the previous six.

If victorious, UCLA would advance to Sunday’s 11 a.m. title game against either Stanford (22-1-1) or Notre Dame (25-0). The final will be televised live on ESNP2.

Hardy earned first-team all-conference laurels this season and has two assists. But her primary contribution is on the back line, where she has helped set a school single-season record for shutouts.

Hardy, a second-team all-conference honoree as a junior, was UCLA’s Defensive Most Valuable Player as a sophomore and was a member of the Pac-10 All-Freshman team in 2005 after four seasons as a starter at Newport Harbor.

She is a member of the Under-23 U.S. player pool and has represented the United States in numerous competitions as a member of various youth national teams over the years.

UCLA’s 22 wins matches the school single-season record set by the 2005 Bruins and the five goals allowed puts the team in good position to break the season record for fewest allowed — 10 in 2000. The Bruins have outscored foes, 60-5, this season.

Stanford has been aided by Newport Coast resident Camille Levin, a freshman defender and midfielder out of Tarbut V’Torah in Irvine.

Levin has started all 23 games for the Cardinal this season, posting six goals and four assists. She was named MVP of the Santa Clara tournament.

— Barry Faulkner