The UCLA men’s soccer team will find itself in a novel yet
familiar setting tonight when they take on Southern Methodist
University in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The team will once again be looking to extend its season-long
shutout streak at Drake Stadium against the SMU Mustangs.
The difference, however, is that now the Bruins (12-4-3) are in
the playoffs and the stakes are higher. With a loss, the
tournament’s fifth-ranked team would see its season come to a
screeching halt.
“We’re comfortable here at home,” coach Jorge
Salcedo said. “The guys feel good about playing at
home.”
“Everything is on the line,” he said. “If you
have a poor game, your season could be over.”
While UCLA was exempt from playing a first round-game thanks to
its high seeding in the draw, the Mustangs played host to the
University of San Francisco Dons.
At the onset of the game, the Dons controlled the ball and
established a solid tempo. SMU quickly adjusted, allowing just one
shot on goal in a 2-1 first-round victory.
“They are a team that I think didn’t have the best
season for SMU standards, but they obviously know how to win
games,” Salcedo said.
The Mustangs present challenges for the Bruins’ defensive
specialists. They have a strong offensive attack ““ freshman
Paulo da Silva scored twice in their victory over USF.
With a week to practice and prepare for the game, the team was
able to focus on several scenarios for their first postseason
experience together as a team.
“We have an idea of how they’re going to play, how
they’re going to defend and how they’re going to
attack,” Salcedo said. “We tried to put some plans of
how we can exploit them.”
The Bruins, who have had their fair share of struggles scoring
goals, have steadily begun to convert on their scoring chances.
“We still have had some difficulty scoring goals,”
Salcedo said, “But you can see that we are starting to score
more goals in practice more often. The guys are a little sharper
with their finishing, and a little more confident.”
If the Bruins can net a goal early on in the game, Salcedo feels
that they have the ability to follow up with several more, making
goalkeeper Eric Reed’s job easier.
Although SMU has already captured its first playoff victory, the
Bruins look forward to capitalizing on their 23rd consecutive
tournament appearance, the second-longest active streak in the
nation.
“We’re excited about it,” Salcedo said.
“It’s been a little over a week since we’ve
played a game, so we’re anxious to start our playoffs and
look forward to the challenge that SMU is going to
bring.”