When the No. 9 UCLA men’s soccer team takes the field
today against Oregon State, it will not only be looking to get
revenge for an earlier 1-0 loss against the Beavers in Corvallis,
Ore., but will also be looking to secure a spot atop the
Pac-10.
The Bruins (8-3-2, 3-1-1 Pac-10) have not lost since the Oct. 9
match-up between the two schools, and the meeting has not escaped
the minds of the Bruins and coach Jorge Salcedo.
The Bruins, who have gone almost 400 minutes without allowing a
goal, felt they were unready and unprepared the last time they
faced the Beavers, whose only goal came early in the 10th
minute.
“We believe that the goal they got was early on, it was
off a set piece, and we weren’t really ready for it,”
sophomore defender Marvell Wynne said.
This time around, the Bruins will be ready for just about
anything the Beavers try to execute.
“This time, we’re going to be ready and come out
strong and hard and (allow) no goals against. Hopefully we’ll
get a couple for ourselves,” Wynne added.
Recording goals has been difficult for the Bruins lately, as
they were scoreless for over six hours of playing time before
finding the back of the net against the No. 22 UC Santa Barbara
Gauchos in the third minute of a 1-0 victory last Thursday.
After putting an end to the drought, the team is now confident
that it can not only limit its opponent’s scoring, but can
also capitalize on its own chances.
“Hopefully we can get a little bit of redemption and get
the win here and put us in a good position in the Pac-10,”
junior defender Brandon Owens said.
“It’d be nice to send them home with
nothing.”
The Bruins have been unbeatable at home this season, going
5-0-1, and look to take control of tonight’s game at Drake
Stadium.
“They’re one of the few teams that has scored
(against us), so that just makes it all the more motivating for us
to just shut them out and get a big win, especially here at
home,” junior goalkeeper Eric Reed said.
Revenge is not the only matter on the Bruins’ minds
though, as they hope to secure a berth in the playoffs with strong
outings in their last two home games of the season this
weekend.
The Bruins are currently in third place in the conference with
10 points, trailing leaders Oregon State and California who both
have 12 points with 4-3 Pac-10 conference records.
The Bruins have played fewer games than the majority of the
conference and two wins this weekend would put them in great shape,
as many teams have lost several more times than UCLA so far.
“It’s a huge game in that if we win this game, we go
4-1,” Salcedo said. “Every team except San Diego State
has at least three losses in the conference.”
“It’s an important weekend for us.”
With a pair of victories over Oregon State and Washington this
weekend, the Bruins will regain sole possession of first place
since Cal does not play this weekend.