For the UCLA men’s soccer team, the journey to Frisco, Texas, the site of this year’s College Cup, starts tonight.
No. 13 UCLA (10-4-6) begins its chase for the program’s fifth national championship, when it takes on Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (10-5-6) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament tonight at Drake Stadium.
Aspirations for a national title began in late August, but those hopes became blurry by mid-September when the Bruins dropped more games in the preseason than they expected to.
But despite the rough start, the Bruins became consistent later to come back and win the Pac-10 title. Most importantly, the team completely erased those doubts that were present in the early part of the season.
For the Bruins, like any other playoff team, the postseason brings the start of a new season ““ it’s win or go home. The Pac-10 Championships, the conference accolades, the unbeaten streak and everything else the Bruins have accomplished over their 20-game regular-season schedule is negated with a playoff loss. Even with the added pressure in the elimination format, fifth-year coach Jorge Salcedo, who was recently named Pac-10 Coach of the Year, does not anticipate a letdown.
“We’ll be up for (the challenge),” he said. “We’ll be ready for it, we’ll be ready to go.”
The Bruins, who will be making their 26th consecutive postseason appearance, go into tonight’s match with a sense of what to expect. Less than two weeks ago at Drake Stadium, UCLA defeated Cal Poly SLO 2-1 in a hard-fought battle.
“They were very physical against us,” said senior midfielder Jason Leopoldo. “That’s one of the ways teams have tried to disrupt us. But in a way, they really didn’t. We had our chances and could have put (up) more than two goals on them. We’re going to keep getting our chances against them.”
Though the box score may have made the contest appear close, the 2-1 result is a misleading figure. Senior forward Maxwell Griffin, who scored the Bruins’ game-winner, hit the goal post with a pair of shots. Mustang goalkeeper Eric Branagan-Franco, who led the Big West Conference in every goalkeeping statistic, also had a few dazzling saves to prevent the Bruins from stretching their lead.
UCLA is coming off a season-high six goals at San Diego State in the regular-season finale. Yet the team’s successful run can be largely attributed to the Bruin defense.
Now the Bruins, who are unbeaten in 14 of their last 15 matches, look to keep it that way by maintaining a stingy mindset on the defensive end. Over the last eight games, UCLA has only allowed two goals ““ one on a penalty kick and the other with three seconds left in regulation.
This defensive consistency undoubtedly paved the way for the team’s conference title, and ultimately, a spot in the tournament. As the postseason commences, senior defender Brad Rusin said that the team needs to maintain and increase its intensity to advance.
“Everyone’s just got to step it up,” he said. “Guys just have to come in and play. Other guys around have to step it up, too. Basically the whole team coming together to play defense.”
But Cal Poly SLO will pose challenges for the Bruin backfield. According to Rusin, the Mustangs utilize long-range passes to attack through the air and run their offense through two dangerous attackers: the team’s leading scorer David Zamora and midfielder Julian Alvarez, both All-Big West Second-Team selections.
“Usually they play the ball forward,” Rusin said. “(Zamora) kind of lays it off to (Alvarez), he’s always running around so you have to watch for him running through.”
Aside from being familiar with one another, the teams also have a bit of history in the postseason. Back in 1995, the Bruins defeated the Mustangs by a score of 2-1 in the first round. That year marks Cal Poly SLO’s only other tournament appearance. UCLA is 13-4 all-time in first-round matches.
Playing at home, where the Bruins are 6-1-4 this season, may also prove to be an advantage.
Because the team did not receive one of the top-16 tournament seeds, tonight may mark the last home game for the UCLA seniors.
“You just love playing on your home turf,” Leopoldo said. “You always want to play at home in front of the fans and being in an environment that you’re used to.”
Rusin doesn’t really think about playing at home. In fact, he wouldn’t mind traveling to Texas to end the season.
“Hopefully we keep winning and go all the way to Dallas,” he said.
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