With all of the shuffling being done to the lineup card, one
would have expected the goalkeeper position to be one of the few
areas of consistency for the men’s soccer team. Goalie Eric
Reed had an astounding junior year, starting 18 of 20 games,
recording 12 solo shutout victories, and was looking strong going
into his senior campaign.
Enter freshman ““ and member of the U.S. under-18 national
team ““ Brian Perk.
The Rancho Santa Margarita native has given coach Jorge Salcedo
the luxury of having depth at the position instead of having to get
creative with the roster because of injuries.
Reed and Perk have split time in goal this season, with the
senior Reed getting the lion’s share.
“It’s no secret that I’m looking to play the
keeper who’s playing the best,” Salcedo said.
“Both have competed hard for the first spot. Reed’s
been great and Perk has come on really well.
“Early on (in the season) I wanted to get Perk in there to
get some experience.”
Perk has had a lot of success with the experience he’s
gotten, starting four games in the net so far this season.
With the freshman in goal the Bruins own a 3-0-1 record, and
toppled then unbeaten and untied Washington. With Reed in goal the
Bruins are 5-3-1 and beat then-first-place San Diego State to take
a share of first place in the Pac-10.
The intense and fiery Reed has given up 12 goals in nine starts
and hauled in 34 saves. Perk has given up four goals in as many
games and snagged 19 saves.
Reed has two shutouts while Perk has yet to record one.
UCLA finds itself protecting its first-place tie in the
standings with two keepers who protect the goal in slightly
different ways.
“Brian Perk has great reflexes,” junior midfielder
Greg Folk said. “He makes really good reflex saves. And Reed
is really athletic. He can get to a ball anywhere.”
For now, any controversy over the main keeper position has been
tabled until later in the season.
“At this point Reed (is the starter) because of his
experience,” Salcedo said. “We’ll make the
decision (again) going into the postseason.”
SETTING THE TABLE: UCLA will head to Oregon
State this weekend and then to Washington for its final two road
games of the Pac-10 season. The Bruins leave for Corvallis, Ore.,
tied with Stanford for first place in the Pac-10, and will be
greeted by the Cardinal upon their return to Westwood. With the
standings as they are, a good road trip is vital for the Bruins to
set up a first-place showdown with Stanford.
“Basically we need two wins to stay alive and have a good
shot at the Pac-10 title,” Folk said.
The Bruins played strong in their first contests against the
Beavers and Huskies, winning both games 2-1 at home (beating
Washington in overtime) and need a repeat performance away from
Drake Stadium to control their own destiny.
“We need two wins on this road trip,” Salcedo said.
“Cal beat UW twice. We have to do the same thing.”
INJURY REPORT: The Bruins, who have been
plagued by injury all season, have finally gotten some good luck
with no new injuries for the first time in quite a while.
“Surprisingly we’ve been healthy this week,”
Salcedo said jokingly