USC doesn’t have a men’s soccer team, so the UCLA men’s soccer team had to find the next best thing to have a heated game with. It found a new crosstown opponent in Loyola Marymount, a school situated about 12 miles away, that just happen to don dark red/maroon jerseys.
Coming off their first win, against the Saint Mary’s Gaels, the Bruins looked to begin a winning streak as they faced the Lions at the North Athletic Field on Sunday.
No. 17 UCLA demonstrated its dominance early on, taking hold of the possession, exposing the LMU defense and sending balls in across the face of the goal.
After many crosses and a shot that soared above the goal from sophomore midfielder Kelyn Rowe, the Bruins found the back of the net after just 13 minutes. Junior midfielder Ryan Hollingshead sent a ball in from the left side and, in his first start, junior Ryan Lee finished his first goal at the far post.
“It was great to score, since I transferred here so just to help out the team any way I can, being new and all, was a great feeling,” Lee said. “And just to get the first one under my belt was a confidence booster, so hopefully more will come after. The first goal is always the hardest.”
Just a few seconds after the goal, the game turned nasty as a late tackle with cleats up got LMU’s Logan McDaniel sent off with a red card. And just a few seconds after that, Lee was given a yellow after retaliating to a Lion foul and was pulled from the game by coach Jorge Salcedo.
“I went up for a header, and the guy had a high elbow and hit me in the eye and cut my cheek. I just got four stitches, but it was chill,” Lee said. “I got the yellow card, so it was just safe not to put me in.”
The game resumed after the fierce exchanges, and the Bruins continued finding opportunities in the final third. Senior midfielder Andy Rose was effective sitting in front of the defense, acting as a holding player and playing through balls between gaps and over opposing defenders.
“Andy’s our rock there in the midfield,” Salcedo said. “We expect him to help us initiate our attack and cover another player in front of the back four, and he’s done a good job for us.”
Rowe was also having his way in the midfield, and after LMU couldn’t find a way to contain him, one of the Lions slapped him across the face in frustration. Rowe channeled his fury into a free kick that rocketed off the cross bar and out of bounds from approximately 30 yards out.
Chances came and went again until junior midfielder Evan Raynr played a through ball down the heart of the Lion defense to junior forward Chandler Hoffman, who finished comfortably past the goalkeeper to put the game at 2-0.
With that goal, Hoffman netted his fourth of the season and has scored a goal in each of the Bruins’ last four games.
“It’s been good this year, being healthy. Last year, I had a broken leg, so it’s nice to be able to find the back of the net,” Hoffman said. “I feel really confident in front of goal, and I’m hoping to keep this streak alive.”
The Bruin defense, on the other hand, was stingy, allowing only two shots in the first half, and almost all of the Lions’ chances came off of set pieces. LMU kept trying to counterattack after absorbing pressure but were unable to break away cleanly throughout the first half.
The second half continued much of the same way as the first with numerous chances for the Bruins, until the Lions sent in a corner that the Bruins had trouble clearing. After being punched out by redshirt senior goalkeeper Brian Rowe, the ball fell back at the feet of an LMU player who shot the ball again, but was blocked by the hands of a Bruin. A penalty kick for the handball was awarded to the Lions, and forward Artur Jozkowicz placed it out of Rowe’s reach, in the upper left corner.
Although LMU began finding more chances, UCLA continued its dominance in possession, holding onto the ball for extended periods of time, which led to chances of its own. The Bruins’ ball movement tired out the frustrated Lions, who were down a man.
“Our game plan is to move the ball and find ways to keep the ball the majority of the game, but also to be goal-dangerous,” Salcedo said. “We had our opportunities to score goals, we had some good moments in the final third, but that’s what we need to get better and sharper at.”
The game remained physical until the final whistle, with seven yellow cards and a red card issued in total, but the Bruins kept their cool in victory.
“I think sometimes there are plays that are a little over the top and things that shouldn’t happen on the soccer field, and for one reason or another that’s the way they play the game, and we just have to deal with it,” Salcedo said.
“They were coming in hard and very physical, so we were just trying to move the ball quickly to take that element away, but they were coming in late, so we were just trying to find a way to get the win, and we did,” Hoffman added.
The 2-1 win was the second of the season for the Bruins, who take on UCSB at Drake Stadium on Friday.