Confusion. Comeback. Celebration.
In what turned into a shootout that had both teams experiencing
the gauntlet of emotions, the Bruins stunned a Cal team that simply
lost its composure.
After wasting a two-goal lead with less than ten minutes to
play, Cal self-destructed in the opening minutes of overtime,
virtually handing UCLA a 4-3 victory.
“We had to try to pull a rabbit out of a hat and we
did,” coach Jorge Salcedo said.
After a Cal defender committed a hand ball penalty in the box in
the extra period, defender Aaron Lopez was awarded a penalty
shot.
Lopez fired to the right side of the net, but Cal goalie Eric
Kronberg deflected the initial shot only to have the ball return
back to Lopez. The senior was wary enough to meet the rebounded
ball in the air and nudge the ball over Kronberg for the game
winner.
“I just came and pushed it in,” said Lopez candidly.
“We feel relieved coming back from 3-1.”
“It took a lot of heart. The whole team showed a lot of
heart with nine minutes to go. I’m glad it’s over right
now, and we came out on top.”
Despite the one-goal lead heading into the second half, the No.
7 Bruins (9-2-2, 5-1-0 Pac-10) committed numerous errors on the
defensive end that led to three consecutive goals by No. 18 Cal
(9-3-2, 1-3-1).
The defense was frequently caught off guard leaving sophomore
UCLA goalkeeper Eric Reed in a position where he could do nothing
but dive and gamble for the save.
“We came in the second half and gave them two
goals,” coach Jorge Salcedo said. “Our two center backs
made two poor choices and we got punished for that.
Nonetheless, the Bruins proved their relentless nature could
overcome the daunting two-goal deficit.
In the second half UCLA combined for more shots than Cal tallied
for the entire match, holding a 15-8 shot edge at game’s
end.
By the time the match headed into overtime, sophomore forward
Chad Barrett knew the Bruins had the edge over Cal.
“They were demoralized,” said Barrett about the
Bears. “We know they don’t like playing us.
There’s too much heat to handle. We have too much offense on
this team.”
With less than a minute remaining, it looked like the game
wouldn’t see an overtime period.
But with just 22 seconds remaining in regulation, senior forward
Mike Enfield performed a bicycle kick, striking the ball into the
right side of the goal from 10 yards out.
“He pulled off one of the best goals I’ve seen in my
life,” Salcedo said.
With the victory over Cal, the Bruins ran their winning streak
to four games.
More importantly, they swept both Bay Area rivals during the
last two weeks.
If there was one person to pinpoint the success that the Bruins
have enjoyed this past weekend, it would have to be Barrett.
In an offensive slumber for the better part of the season,
Barrett rekindled the fire in his right foot by connecting on two
goals and an assist over the weekend.
The 2003 Pac-10 Co-Freshman of the Year scored just one goal in
the season prior to the homestand.
“The weight is finally off my shoulders, I tell you that
much,” said Barrett after his game-winning goal in the 2-1
victory over Stanford on Friday. “It’s just like
I’ve been saying all year, I just want to get that one
breakaway and get a chance to get out of that slump.”
The comeback over both conference teams and the resurrection of
Barrett bodes well for UCLA’s pursuit of capturing its third
consecutive Pac-10 title.
The only team between the Bruins and their goal is Washington,
who sits atop the conference.