A bruised and battered UCLA men’s soccer team is currently riding a five-game unbeaten streak. The Bruins have tied in their last four matches, a string they hope to break this weekend in the Bay Area.
But to do so, they will have to get by two of the toughest competitors in the Pac-10. The Bruins (2-3-5, 0-0-1 Pac-10) will face No. 6 California (6-1-3, 1-0-1 Pac-10) at Goldman Field at Edwards Stadium tonight and will conclude their road trip against Stanford (2-5-2, 0-1-1 Pac-10) at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Last year, the Bruins split the series with the Golden Bears, winning at home and losing at Berkeley. Despite splitting the two games, Cal walked away with its second consecutive Pac-10 title. Prior to Cal’s current reign at the top, the Bruins had won the league championship four years in a row, which adds intensity to the rivalry between the two schools.
Coach Jorge Salcedo knows what his team is up against.
“Cal is a good team this year,” Salcedo said. “It’s our first goal to win the Pac-10, so we are going to get ready for them. We know exactly what we need to do to get ready for them, and we need to go up there and play.”
Junior midfielder Michael Stephens sees the match against Cal as an opportunity for the Bruins to change things up.
“We need to get some points in,” Stephens said. “We need two wins to turn the season around up there. It’s going to be a big weekend for us.”
The Bruins will face the Pac-10’s only nationally ranked team, and from past experience know what it takes to come back to Westwood with a victory.
“A few years ago we went up and won,” Salcedo said. “It’s just a matter of going up there and being in the right frame of mind. It’s an extremely important game for us. If we go up there and can get three points, we’ll be in a great spot in the Pac-10. Our plan is to go up there, get after them and attack them.”
After its game against Cal, UCLA will cross the bay to take on the Cardinal. The teams have tied in three of their last four matches. Recently, UCLA has been falling behind, which is something Stephens thinks needs to change this weekend.
“I think one thing we need to do is be the first team to score,” Stephens said. “Instead of always fighting back and gaining a little momentum back, it will just kind of be with us already.”
The team will look to Stephens, as well as senior forward Maxwell Griffin, to get the team on the board in the early stages of its games. The duo has been the most consistent scoring threats, each scoring five goals.