The term walk-on has a certain connotation. It usually pertains
to a college sports player at the end of the bench who is known
more for “hustle” and “leadership” than any
actual production.
Freshman midfielder Benny Feilhaber has shown this season that
being a walk-on in the tradition sense and actually producing are
not mutually exclusive.
Feilhaber has scored two goals this season ““ both
game-winners. The first came against Portland on Sept. 21 and
helped establish his presence in the lineup.
“I got my one chance against Portland, and I got a goal in
that game. That turned my season around, and ever since then I have
been getting a lot of minutes,” Feilhaber said.
With the Bruins struggling on offense against Portland’s
11-man defense in the first half, head coach Tom Fitzgerald turned
to an unexpected source. He started the freshman in the second
half, hoping Feilhaber would provide an offensive spark.
The strategy worked almost immediately. In the first minute of
the half, Feilhaber blasted a long shot that Portland goalkeeper
Luis Robles had to dive to save. Twelve minutes later, Feilhaber
scored a superb goal.
From 10 yards out and at a bad angle on the left side of the
goal, Feilhaber noticed Robles was too close to the near post. He
sent a curving shot inside the far post to give the Bruins the lead
and eventually the victory.
“Benny has done very well this season,” Fitzgerald
said. “Players like him make the program what it is. He has
made a lot of contributions this season.”
Feilhaber cracked the top 11 against Washington Oct. 5 and made
an impact once more. The situation played out just like the
Portland game; the match was tied going into halftime. And again,
Feilhaber was the hero.
In the 65th minute, Feilhaber gained control of a deflected
cross and knocked the ball into the goal, near post, to score the
only goal of the game and help secure a hard-fought win.
“Benny made the difference in the game against
Washington,” senior forward Matt Taylor said. “That was
a big-time goal. He made the difference for our team in the
Northwest.”
Feilhaber’s success is not altogether surprising because
he’s not a typical walk-on. He had a stellar high school
career at Irvine’s Northwood High School, scoring 45 goals
and notching 28 assists over four years. His team won the 2002
Division IV California Interscholastic Federation championship and
he was named all-CIF in 2003.
Feilhaber also had success in club soccer as a member of the
highly successful Irvine Strikers, winners of the 2002 national
championship and a regional championship in 2001.
So why walk on at UCLA when he could have gone to a mid-major
school and obtained a scholarship?
“I thought UCLA was a great school academically, and
obviously the soccer team is the best in the nation,”
Feilhaber said. “I had a few other options, but even though I
was a walk-on, I thought this was the best option with academics
and athletics combined.”
Feilhaber isn’t paying lip service to academics either; he
is a mechanical engineering student, one of the most difficult
majors on campus.
Feilhaber hopes his contributions lead to a scholarship for next
year, but he is a strictly team-oriented player.
“I definitely want to get a scholarship for next year, but
I’m thinking about the team,” he said. “Hopefully
we get back to the Final Four and win another national
championship. Individually, I just want to help the team
win.”