The objective for the UCLA men’s soccer team is simple: Win, and go to the College Cup.
But the road to the soccer version of the Final Four has not been easy for the sixth-seeded Bruins, and their next match will certainly not prove to be any easier.
After earning a first-round bye and playing their second- and third-round matches at home, UCLA now hits the road to take on second-seeded Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C.
And to say that the Bruins have struggled on the road this season would be an understatement.
After knocking off defending national champion Maryland in College Park to open the season, a monumental road win, UCLA suffered each of its three losses of the season away from Drake Stadium. In addition, the Bruins were held scoreless in all three games.
But UCLA coach Jorge Salcedo does not seem to be too concerned with the Bruins’ road woes, citing the big win at Maryland and other wins at California and Oregon State.
“If you look at the beginning of the year, we won in one of the toughest environments in the country at Maryland in front of 7,000 people,” Salcedo said after Tuesday’s practice. “We know how to win on the road; it’s just a matter of going out and applying ourselves in the right fashion.”
Salcedo’s team seconded the notions of their coach, and having traveled to Winston-Salem last season, the Bruins are confident that they will be able to find their comfort zone on the road.
“This group played at Wake Forest last year, and it’s actually a very similar field to ours,” senior midfielder Michael Stephens said. “We’ll be able to play our game on it pretty well, so I’m not too worried about that.”
As for that game against the Demon Deacons last season, UCLA lost in shutout fashion, 3-0.
“Their attack is one of the more potent attacks in the country,” Salcedo said of Wake Forest.
The Bruins hope to put on the same type of defensive effort they did in Sunday’s match against UC Santa Barbara.
“I think we need to do a lot of the same things we did against UC Santa Barbara as far as playing well defensively and coming together as a team,” Stephens said. “We played a very good team defensive game, and I think if we work as hard as we did in that game, we’ll be successful against Wake Forest.”
As for the personal implications of a win against Wake Forest, Salcedo said that reaching a second College Cup in four years would not only be special for him but for his senior class.
“It means a lot, it means a lot,” Salcedo said. “Us getting there two out of the four years that they’re here means that they’ve been extremely successful here at UCLA.”