With a 1-1 tie against California last weekend, the sixth-ranked
UCLA men’s soccer team clinched its fourth consecutive Pac-10
Championship. But they aren’t stopping there. “Our goal
now is a national championship, for sure,” freshman
midfielder and forward Sal Zizzo said. The Bruins have proven they
can make a legitimate run at a national championship this year with
their stellar all-around play and lockdown defense. However, the
road to the Final Four, and eventually the championship game, is
going to be long and difficult. “There’s still plenty
of work to do,” coach Jorge Salcedo said. “We’re
comfortable with where we’re at, so we just need to keep
doing what we’ve been doing.” Despite clinching the
Pac-10 Championship, Salcedo has opted not to rest his starters in
this weekend’s games against San Diego and San Diego State.
He knows winning these next two games is essential to get the
highest seed possible in the tournament. “We still have two
huge games coming up,” Salcedo said. “We can’t
let up if we want to try to get into the top four.” A pair of
wins in San Diego would give the Bruins at least a top-eight
seeding, which would guarantee at least two home games in the
tournament. “Our immediate goal is to get a good spot in the
playoffs,” sophomore defender Marvell Wynne said. “Then
we can get some home games, make it to the Final Four, and just
take it from there.” In order to prepare themselves for
tournament play, the Bruins have honed their attack during
practice. A boost in the Bruins’ offense, which has only
mustered 1.41 goals per game this season, would take tremendous
pressure off the defense and goalkeeper Eric Reed.
“We’ve been doing three-move drills that focus on
finishing,” Zizzo said. “Hopefully we can put ourselves
in good spots and in more situations to score.” Salcedo is
not worried about his team’s lack of offensive production
this season. “I’d be more concerned if we weren’t
creating opportunities,” Salcedo said. “We’ve
been creating plenty of opportunities, but unfortunately, this
season we just haven’t been able to finish.” Although
the Bruins have struggled to find the back of the net when shooting
solo, they have compensated by capitalizing on each other’s
passes. This season, they have 28 total assists compared to their
opponents’ four. “Most schools get a lot of unassisted
goals,” Zizzo said. “But here we like to play
soccer.” Salcedo is pleased with his team’s potent
passing game and has seen many other promising improvements in his
team’s offense. He optimistically anticipates a rejuvenation
in the Bruin’s offensive attack. “I think we are very
close to becoming a team that scores a handful of goals each
game,” Salcedo said. “And what better time is there for
that to happen than during the playoffs?” If the Bruins can
beef up their offense, they’ll keep their opponents on their
heels for the entire game, perhaps for the entire tournament.
PAC-10 HONORS: After two solid performances that helped UCLA
clinch the Pac-10 title, Reed was named the Pac-10 Men’s
Soccer Player of the Week on Tuesday. The Mission Viejo native
recorded a shutout against Stanford and allowed a lone goal in
overtime against Cal. Grabbing four saves against Stanford, Reed
posted his fifth consecutive shutout and 11th this season. Reed
made two saves against the Golden Bears, but Cal’s goal ended
his shutout streak of 459 minutes. Reed’s outstanding numbers
show he is arguably the best goalkeeper in the country, ranking No.
1 in the nation in goals-against average (0.26) and save percentage
(.927). His goals-against average is on pace to break the school
record of 0.52.
INJURY UPDATE: Sophomore Marvell Wynne did not practice Tuesday
due to a swollen ligament in his left foot. Wynne, who leads the
Bruins with eight assists this season, is expected only be out for
a few more days. “My foot should heal soon, and hopefully
I’ll be ready for Thursday’s game,” Wynne said.
Whether he’s hustling in the backfield or sitting on the
bench nursing his injured foot, Wynne said he tries to contribute
to the team. “I try to help our offense with constructive
criticism,” Wynne said. “I tell them what I see from my
point of view because we can see everything from the
back.”