M. soccer one game away from Final Four
Bruins rally from 2-1 deficit, defeat the Mustangs, 4-2
By Tim Costner
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The UCLA men’s soccer team has a funny way of making a game into
an emotional roller-coaster.
And in the second round of the NCAA Championships, last Sunday’s
victory against Southern Methodist in Dallas was no exception.
Once again, the seventh-ranked Bruins pulled themselves out of
the proverbial fire with a late-game, last-ditch effort that
ultimately made their 4-2 win look easy.
The Bruins were trailing, 2-1, with just nine minutes remaining
in the game, and it appeared as though UCLA had finally exhausted
all of its miracles for the season.
Bruin defender Adam Frye had scored UCLA’s only goal in the 21st
minute, and nearly 60 minutes had elapsed without a UCLA goal. The
Mustangs, on the other hand, had equalized and taken the lead
during that same span.
But the Bruins came to life and found salvation late in the
game.
In the 82nd minute, UCLA’s Greg Vanney blasted a free kick that
rebounded off of the Mustang goalie, leaving UCLA defender Frankie
Hejduk with an easy tap to the goal for an equalizer at 2-2.
Then, in the 88th minute, Vanney struck again, this time
pounding in a shot from 30 yards out that deflected off of UCLA
forward Ante Razov and into the back of the net for the
game-winner.
The flurry was the result of a more aggressive Bruins offense,
according to UCLA head coach Sigi Schmid.
"They were up 2-1 and already looking to settle down and milk it
a little bit," Schmid said. "We began to play aggressively and win
those 50-50 challenges."
And behind the aggressive play, Razov capped the scoring with an
insurance goal in the 89th minute, taking advantage of a pressing
Mustang defense to score single-handedly from nine yards out.
* * *
What made the win more dramatic were the implications for the
Bruins, who will play the College of Charleston next weekend.
Since Charleston is the eighth seed in an eight-team bracket,
the quarter-final game between UCLA and Charleston will likely be
held in Westwood, giving the Bruins an inside track to the Final
Four in Davidson, N.C.