Not many teams can say they bring their leading scorer in off the bench. But the men’s soccer team is a little different.
The Bruins’ go-to goal scorer, junior forward Maxwell Griffin, leads the team with seven goals on the season but has begun the last few games watching his teammates from the sidelines.
“His energy, his effort, his desire coming off the bench is something that is good for the group,” coach Jorge Salcedo said.
It’s rare that a coach would have the confidence to keep a player like Griffin off the field to start a game, but if there’s one thing this team has plenty of, it is faith in players’ abilities.
“A lot of it just comes down to us,” senior Greg Folk said. “We’re such a talented team that when we show up to play, it’s tough to even play against us.”
The unorthodox plan has not frustrated the striker. Instead, he has responded very well.
“Starting off on the bench and seeing the flow of the game just motivates me even more to go out, show my stuff and get a goal,” Griffin said.
The junior forward has done just that.
Two weeks ago against California, Griffin scored the only goal of the game in the 88th minute to give UCLA a much-needed win.
“Maxwell is someone that we expect … to be goal-dangerous,” Salcedo said. “Last year he proved that he could do that. This year as well, obviously, with seven goals.”
The Bruins have been using a variety of looks up top, keeping their strikers energized. With the Bruins’ recent goal production, the strategy has paid big dividends.
“We have a rotation of forwards coming in … to keep some fresh legs on the field so that they’re more dangerous throughout the game,” Folk said.
However, with two must-win games coming up this weekend at Stanford and Cal, Salcedo is considering changing the game plan. Griffin might see himself in the starting 11, a move that would maximize the junior’s minutes on the field.
“I feel like because these games are important we may need to have Maxwell and David (Estrada) out there more times than not to give us an opportunity to score goals,” Salcedo said.
Salcedo noted that the two strikers were practicing together to see how the dynamic might work, with a final decision on the lineup still up in the air.
For Griffin, it’s all the same. Coming off the bench or starting, he has given the team a big spark.
“Maxwell has been a great team member,” Salcedo said. “Obviously every guy on this team wants to start, (but) he’s been someone who, whether he starts or doesn’t, gives a great effort.”
With the Bruins’ talented lineup, they have been able to control the pace of the game with different personnel. Even in their loss to Washington last Sunday, the Bruins dominated the stat sheet and kept the ball on their opponent’s side for a significant portion of the game. Now the next step for the Bruins is making the scoreboard consistently reflect the team’s talent.
“As long as we get position, no one in my opinion can match up with us,” Griffin said.