All season long, one aspect of the men’s soccer team has
remained consistent ““ its defense. And not surprisingly, the
team has ridden the unit to its success. Holding its opponents to
just 12 goals all season and posting five shutouts, the
Bruins’ defense has drawn comparisons to the play of the UCLA
squad that took home the NCAA title in 2002. But with only four
games remaining on the regular season schedule, first-year coach
Jorge Salcedo is still hesitant to compare this year’s
defense to that of the national champion team. “Time will
tell,” Salcedo said. “Whether this defense is as good
(as the NCAA champion team of 2002), that will be determined if
they win the championship.” Propelling the No. 2
Bruins’ climb to the top of the conference standings has been
the contributions of the starting backs on the defense. Senior
defender Aaron Lopez, who is on the 2004 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy
Watch List, has been a force on the defense. Lopez and starting
backs Jordan Harvey, Brandon Owens, and Marvell Wynne have been
consistent all season. And the defense’s strong effort was
sorely needed in the beginning of the season, when the offense was
having a difficult time putting the ball in the back of the net.
One defender who has stood out during the Bruins’ successful
run has been Harvey. Having started in every game this season,
Harvey has had success stifling opposing offenses, all the while
earning praise from his coach. “You expect what you are going
to get game in and game out from Jordan,” Salcedo said.
“He’s going to fight for everything and make the
opposing offenses work.” The team has lofty goals, and
Salcedo feels his players still have room to improve in order to
reach the expectations they have set for themselves. “Like
all players in soccer, there are things to improve on, and every
guy on the team can improve on something,” Salcedo said.
“With Brandon (Owens), I think he can do more for the team,
and that is because I think he has it in him to do more.” One
of the pleasant surprises out of this year’s No. 1 recruiting
class has been the play of Wynne. Though he did not originally hold
a starting defender position, Wynne impressed the coaching staff
early on in the season to substantially increase his playing time.
He has seen action in all 14 games this season and has started in
11. “He’s had a very good year and he has been one of
the more consistent defenders and players on the team,”
Salcedo said. “His mentality and attitude have been very
good.”
INJURY UPDATE: The Bruins have remained
relatively healthy all season with the major exception being goalie
Nate Pena. The junior continues to recover from a nagging back
injury that has sidelined him for the better part of the season.
Sophomore Kiel McClung, who suffered ankle, quad and back injuries
during the season, is now close to full strength and will be
expected to contribute as a defender and a midfielder in games to
come.