The current situation for the UCLA men’s soccer team
appears to be difficult on paper, but in reality, the No. 17 Bruins
have a great chance to dig themselves out of a hole.
When they take the field today against No 4. Washington, the
nation’s only team with no losses or ties, the young squad
will look to turn around a season that has been far from
perfect.
For the Bruins (4-3-2, 0-1-1 Pac-10), there is no better place
to begin such a task than at home on Frank W. Marshall Field at
Drake Stadium.
Coming off a season in which the Bruins gave up no goals at home
until the second round of the NCAA Championships, this year’s
team looks to continue the tradition of home-field advantage.
“Playing at home is something we’ve been comfortable
with every year here within our program,” coach Jorge Salcedo
said.
Comfort is just the feeling UCLA will need heading into the
matchup against the Huskies (8-0-0, 1-0-0 Pac-10), who, though
undefeated, have not faced the quality and level of opponents the
Bruins have been pitted against through the majority of the
season.
However, the Washington attack is of primary concern for a UCLA
team coming off two disappointing results in Pac-10 play.
“They’ve got a dynamic duo up top and there are guys
we’re going to have to deal with, but I think with our
training and our preparation, we’ll be ready for them,”
Salcedo said of the Huskies’ Kevin Forrest and Ely Allen.
Forrest and Allen have combined to score sixteen goals so far
this season.
Though they are playing without several key returners from last
year’s team, the Bruins understand that they are in a virtual
must-win situation if they hope to capture their fifth consecutive
conference title.
Currently the Bruins are leading only Oregon State in conference
play and trail the likes of Stanford, Washington, Cal and San Diego
State.
“Two wins would help us a lot in conference play and
bounce back into the lead,” sophomore midfielder/forward
Jason Leopoldo said. “It’ll help us out with
confidence, with rankings, and just put us at the top of the
Pac-10.”
The Bruins understand that each conference game became much more
crucial after the weekend in the Bay Area when the Cardinal and
Bears took advantage of the squad without Maxwell Griffin, a
sophomore forward, and the team’s leading scorer.
“It was hard to make adjustments in just a matter of days,
but now we’ve had a week to try new things with some of the
younger guys,” Salcedo said.
“We now know that every game in the Pac-10 is very
important to us,” he said. “And if we win on Friday
night, we’re right back in the hunt for the conference
championship.”