The UCLA men’s soccer team extended its win streak to four games this weekend, on the road at Washington and Oregon State.
The Bruins (7-4-5 overall, 5-1-1 Pac-10) played against the Huskies and Beavers for the second weekend in a row, as they began the second half of the Pac-10 season.
With first place in the conference on the line, the Bruins beat Washington (8-5-2, 3-2-2 Pac-10) 2-0 on Friday night in Seattle, Wash. to claim sole possession of the No. 1 spot in the Pac-10. After its 1-0 win on Sunday against Oregon State (5-8-3, 2-4-1 Pac-10) in Corvallis, Ore., UCLA increased its conference lead to five points.
The Bruin win on Friday was the team’s second against the Huskies in two weeks.
“I thought we had a lot of good moments in the Friday night game,” coach Jorge Salcedo said. “It was difficult to play a team so soon after you’d beaten them.”
The key to the Bruins success was the offensive play from bench players ““ as both goals scored were by players coming into the game after the start of play.
The Bruins went up early in the first half, with a goal from senior forward Maxwell Griffin.
In the second half, freshmen forward Fernando Monge, a native of Washington, sealed the win for the Bruins with his first collegiate goal.
The role of the bench players “shows the depth that we have,” Salcedo said.
“Guys are still coming back and not fully fit. We still continue to make strides and get guys back to full health.”
On Sunday, the Bruins completed their sweep of the two schools with a 1-0 victory over the Beavers.
Senior defender Brad Rusin broke a scoreless tie on a ball that bounced into the box following a free kick. After a deflection, Rusin beat Oregon State goalkeeper Michael Miller to score the game’s only goal.
With the two shutouts, junior goalkeeper Brian Perk extended his streak to four games.
“Perk was very good for us on Friday night,” Salcedo said. “He made some crucial plays. He’s playing well and he’s in good form right now.”
The improvement of UCLA’s defense has recently helped keep the Bruins in good form.
At points during the beginning of the season, UCLA struggled with the midfield and defensive aspects of the game; and injuries to some key players also played a role in the team’s struggles.
“I think obviously not giving up a goal in the last four games has been a tribute to the way we defend and keep the ball,” Salcedo said. “We’ve improved with the way we’ve defended teams. I’m really happy with the progression that we’ve made.”
The Bruins have won four consecutive conference games and now look to the two home games next weekend.
“If we win both games next weekend, we clinch the division with one game left to play,” Salcedo said.
“It’s a great position to be in going home.”