The Bruins were on their heels.
Two days after dropping a 1-0 decision to unranked San Diego, No. 1 UCLA was clinging to its 1-0 lead against unranked Cal State Northridge in the 88th minute on Sunday.
The Matadors had maintained near-constant possession deep in the final third over the past two minutes, advancing the ball inside of the Bruins’ six-yard box three times during that span. A UCLA deflection off a CSUN cross set up the Matadors for their second corner kick in as many minutes.
Seconds later, what looked like the prelude to a CSUN (4-4-1) equalizer turned out to be the setup for a backbreaker in its 3-0 loss to UCLA (5-2-2).
The cross fell short of its target, leading to a UCLA clearance, which set up a type of long-distance goal that is usually saved only for halftime contests.
UCLA midfielder Leo Stolz received the headed clearance about 80 yards away from the CSUN goal, with only one Matador defender and no goalie in front of him. Then, the senior and reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year booted the ball straight over the CSUN defender and about 35 yards downfield before it bounced the remaining 45 yards untouched all the way into the CSUN goal.
“You give a lot of people 10 times to do that one, maybe once or twice it goes in,” said former UCLA and professional soccer player Cobi Jones, who was a color commentator for the Pac-12 Networks’ broadcast of the game.
http://pac-12.com/videos/post-match-interview-uclas-stolz-dazzling-goal
Stolz’s empty-net goal put UCLA up 2-0 and essentially locked up the Bruins’ first home victory of the season. But less than a minute later, Stolz reminded the fans in attendance exactly why he is considered one of the top players in all of collegiate soccer.
After another cleared ball by the UCLA defense, Stolz was on the counterattack with sophomore midfielder Felix Vobejda. Vobejda dribbled up the left side of the field as Stolz sprinted down the right, and he passed it over to the Bruins’ leading goal scorer, who dribbled past his defender and shot the ball to the left of the outstretched goalkeeper for his second goal of the game and fifth of the season.
Though his two goals may have been the ones that made the postgame highlight reels, Stolz pointed to the CSUN own goal late in the first half, which gave UCLA its initial 1-0 lead, as a pivotal point in the game. Prior to that own goal, the Bruin offense was mired in a slump, having scored only one goal over its past four games.
“It helped us a lot. We definitely needed that (first goal) to get the confidence up,” Stolz said. “The game could have ended differently if we hadn’t had just a little bit of luck. Sometimes, you absolutely need it in soccer.”
Switching things up
The two goals scored by a previously struggling UCLA offense were not the only things different about the Bruins Sunday night. Coach Jorge Salcedo utilized a slightly different starting lineup, with freshman forward Seyi Adekoya making his second career start in place of junior Larry Ndjock, a usual starter.
“Obviously, when you lose a game, there’s things you need to do to change the way you approach the game and to make sure that you have a different result,” Salcedo said.
Salcedo said he was pleased with how Adekoya played and competed, adding that he sees a lot of potential in him. The freshman played 59 minutes with one shot attempt but showed a tireless motor in chasing after balls, sliding for tackles and bouncing off the ground on occasion.
“A big part of my game is definitely my athleticism and my pace, so I try to use it as much as possible, whether it’s running after balls or sliding and getting up as quickly as I can to get on to the next play,” Adekoya said.