Over the course of one match, the UCLA men’s soccer team was able to exorcise some past demons, while at the same time showcasing a few young players who figure to play a big role in the team’s future.
The Bruins came away with a tightly contested 3-2 overtime victory on Sunday against the University of San Diego Toreros – the team which eliminated the Bruins in the second round of the NCAA tournament last season.
“Our coach had said that it’s a different group compared to last year for both teams. Some players are new, but for the returners it was a big game,” said junior midfielder Leo Stolz. “We really didn’t want to lose again to them at home.”
It was a dicey start for the No. 14 Bruins (3-1-1), who, despite dominating ball possession early on, found themselves a goal down after conceding a penalty kick in the 27th minute.
The Bruins’ response came in the form of two goals before halftime, each driven by the creative play of freshman. The first UCLA goal arrived in the 38th minute when Stolz calmly slotted past the goalkeeper after a brilliant over the top through ball from freshman midfielder Felix Vobejda. The second goal came about five minutes later courtesy of fellow freshman midfielder Brian Iloski.
“I went around one guy, played Leo and then continued my run into the space. He waited before playing it back to me so I was one on one with the keeper and I was able to finish,” Iloski said. “It’s big to have the freshman come in and have a big impact on the game.”
The team’s response elicited praise from coach Jorge Salcedo, who saw his team score more than one goal in a game for the first time this season.
“After we took a goal it really got us going a little bit more,” Salcedo said. “I had to change things tactically where we ended up playing with two forwards after we got scored on, and the guys did a great job of responding. I thought our first two goals of the game were fantastic, great combinations.”
The Toreros (1-3-1) were able to equalize in the second half, after San Diego freshman defender Parker Price smashed in a free header off a corner kick. The Bruins missed a few clear opportunities to win the game in regulation, but they ultimately completed the task in overtime after a chaotic series of events.
On one end of the field the Toreros called for a penalty that was not given, and on the resulting counterattack, Stolz sent in a cross that was bobbled into the net by a Torero player for the game-winning goal.
“We were a little fortunate in the way we won the game … It was very subjective whether or not that was a foul for them at the end, but obviously it isn’t if the referee doesn’t call it,” Salcedo said. “Overall however, I thought we created more chances and deserved to win.”
The win capped off a successful weekend for the Bruins, who also defeated UC Santa Barbara 1-0 on Friday night, despite playing the last 30 minutes of the match with ten men.