The UCLA men’s soccer team waited nearly two years for a rematch against UC Santa Barbara. The Bruins (2-3-4) finally met No. 16 Gauchos (5-3-1) in front of a rowdy crowd of 1.432 at Drake Stadium on Wednesday night.
The game between the two finalists from the 2006 NCAA men’s soccer championship seemed to have the feeling of aggression and rival tension. Both teams battled back and forth, until the game ended in a 2-2 tie.
After falling behind 1-0, the Bruins battled back to take a 2-1 lead in the second half on goals by forwards David Estrada and Maxwell Griffin.
Estrada’s equalizer came on nifty moves to the box. After sprinting past two defenders, Estrada went one on one with Gaucho goalkeeper Kristopher Minton and scored off the rebound shot after his first attempt had bounced back to him.
Only seven minutes later, Griffin scored UCLA’s second goal to go ahead. An initial save slipped out of the keeper’s hands, and Griffin was there to ease it into the net.
But the Gauchos struck back to tie the game in the 77th minute when UCSB forward Chris Pontius dribbled across the box and deposited a shot to the far right corner, past a diving attempt from junior goalkeeper Brian Perk.
“I thought we came out with a very good attitude after the half,” coach Jorge Salcedo said. “At 2-1, we had them in a pretty good spot. But once again, we’re faced with some miseries and some adversity.”
The score would remain tied 2-2 through regulation, and both teams failed to score in the two overtime periods.
Though his team came out with a draw, Salcedo felt that his team could have done a better job at capitalizing on its opportunities.
“It was tough. We probably should have scored in the in the first half with all the opportunities we had,” Salcedo said. “We responded well to their 1-0 advantage, even if it did bring down the morale of the players.”
Even though the team did not come out victorious, Estrada felt an added intensity going up against the team that negated UCLA’s 100th national championship two years ago.
“I loved it,” Estrada said. “It was a beautiful atmosphere. When you come to college, this is what you want to see.”
Griffin was also impressed by the fan turnout, which is something he hopes can continue as the team begins Pac-10 conference play this weekend.
“This is the best showing we’ve had in my four years here,” Griffin said. “It was really great to play in this atmosphere; it brought a lot of energy to our team.”
The Bruins now shift their focus to Sunday afternoon’s game against San Diego State at Drake Stadium.