After tying in four consecutive matches, the UCLA men’s soccer team traveled to the Bay Area looking to finally break its streak of draws. When the Bruins squandered a cozy 2-0 advantage against No. 6 California (6-2-4, 1-1-2 Pac-10) in Berkeley, it looked like the trend would continue.
Instead, junior midfielder Michael Stephens, who had been talking all week about the importance of coming back to Westwood with at least one victory, scored a game-winning penalty kick in the third minute of overtime to give the Bruins (3-4-5, 1-1-1) a long-awaited triumph.
“It was a good win,” coach Jorge Salcedo said. “It was good for us to have a performance like that. We gave them a hard-fought game, and I thought it was one that we deserved to win.”
The Bruins were not able to conclude their road trip on a high note, though, losing 2-1 to Stanford in Palo Alto. Nonetheless, Salcedo knows the importance that Friday’s victory against the two-time defending Pac-10 champions carries.
“We ended up getting three points, so we’re still in a good spot in the conference,” Salcedo said.
Though he would like to win every match, Salcedo is well aware of the difficulties that road teams face, especially in the highly competitive Pac-10 Conference.
“It’s tough for Pac-10 teams to win two games on the road,” Salcedo said. “So far, no one has done that. It’s difficult to play on a Friday and a Sunday.”
UCLA will host Pac-10 leader Washington (7-3-1, 2-0-1) on Friday under the lights at Drake Stadium.
THE RETURN: Although junior midfielder Kyle Nakazawa only played a combined 40 minutes in the two games over the weekend, his appearance on the field was an important step for the team.
Nakazawa, a Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy preseason nominee, had been out with a back problem for four weeks. In five games without Nakazawa, the Bruins won once and tied four times.
“Nakazawa has been out a few weeks and having him back is a big spark for us,” Salcedo said. “It’s going to take him some time to regain his fitness for the game.”
AROUND THE PAC-10: On Friday, Washington (7-3-1, 2-0-1) defeated Oregon State (3-6-3, 0-2-1) 2-1 in Corvallis, Ore., to climb atop the conference standings. The Huskies, led by senior midfielder Raphael Cox, will visit UCLA on Friday night.
With a win at Stanford and a tie at California over the weekend, San Diego State (3-5-2, 1-0-2) remains undefeated in Pac-10 play. The Aztecs, who battled UCLA to a 3-3 stalemate in Westwood earlier this month, currently sit in second place and welcome Oregon State and Washington to San Diego next weekend.