The Bruins are a win away from sitting atop the Pac-10, and
it’s all thanks to their ability to respond quickly when
their plans have to change.
Against Oregon State (5-5-1, 0-3 Pac-10) this past Sunday, the
UCLA men’s soccer team (6-3-2, 2-1-1 Pac-10) had to find a
new approach when the Beavers came out with a surprising formation.
Coach Jorge Salcedo and UCLA expected Oregon State to come out in a
4-4-2 formation, which the Bruins had planned to meet with a 3-5-2
set.
Salcedo noted that without the luxury of game film for every
game or other sophisticated scouting methods, often the information
about teams they will face comes from talking to coaches from teams
that have already played the Bruins’ opponent.
“Oregon State supposedly (was going to be) playing in a
4-4-2,” Salcedo said. “(Instead) they came out in a
4-3-3 and that doesn’t match up well with a 3-5-2 because
it’s basically one versus one in the back and you always want
to make sure you have cover especially in the middle of the
back.
“In the second half we went to a 4-4-2 and it made a world
of difference. Our team had better balance. We were more organized.
We made it much more difficult for them to posses the
ball.”
With the resulting 2-1 win, the Bruins are in a good position in
the league.
UCLA rebounded from its 0-1-1 start to the division year to beat
Oregon State and previously unbeaten and untied Washington (8-2,
1-2 Pac-10) in double overtime, putting itself back in the running
for the Pac-10 crown.
“We started off kind of shaky,” sophomore Sal Zizzo
said. “(We) got two wins, (and) bounced right back in there.
We get a win at San Diego State, we’ll be sitting in
first.”
Responding to a shuffle of the cards is not a midseason
development for the Bruins, but has instead been a staple of their
season.
When they found out during the offseason that they would be
without forward Kamani Hill for the year, sophomore Maxwell Griffin
stepped into the role as finisher and led the Bruins in scoring
with five goals before the start of division play.
When Griffin went down for the season with a torn ACL in the
first three minutes of Pac-10 play and the Bruins dropped a game to
Cal and tied Stanford, the Bruins dug into their buzz-cut freshman
bench, making their starting team even younger and the average hair
length on the field significantly shorter than planned.
While the Bruins’ general strategy has stayed the same
throughout the year, the starting lineup has undergone constant
changes and the Bruins have had to train players for new
responsibilities.
“With guys that haven’t been playing, that now maybe
see themselves (as) more prominent in terms of playing time or a
starting role, I look to refine some of the things we’ve done
with them because it’s a different role that they’re
being asked to play,” Salcedo said.
That rings true for the Bruins’ offensive attack, with a
plethora of different players coming through with goals. Four
different Bruins are tied for second in scoring (after Griffin)
including sophomores Zizzo and Jason Leopoldo, freshman Kyle
Nakazawa and senior Mike Zaher.
Five other Bruins are tied for third with one goal apiece.
Facing non-conference UC Santa Barbara on Thursday and Pac-10
leading San Diego State Sunday, the Bruins find themselves in
control of their own destiny by working and playing well
together.
“With so many injuries that we’ve had, we have a lot
of young players starting right now,” Zizzo said. “I
think (there are) six freshman, and a lot of players are in the
mix, so it’s really good that everybody’s laughing and
having a good time.”