The wind swirled, the skies let loose and stony grey clouds frowned down from what had moments before been a golden afternoon. Though the sun would peek out from behind the dark curtains a few more times, it would only offer a momentary respite, quickly banished by clouds and rain.
Among such atmospheric turmoil, the No. 6 UCLA men’s soccer team was unperturbed. Cool as the air around them, calm where the weather was not, the Bruins (10-3-3) cruised to a 2-1 road victory – dismantling an Oregon State team which labored until late in the game to even make a dent in the Bruin defense.
Playing in Corvallis, Ore. in a stadium where the Beavers had lost only once this season, the Bruins dominated their opposition in nearly every facet of the game. When junior forward Larry Ndjock’s 51st-minute shot bounced into the left side of the net, extending a lead earned by redshirt senior forward Andrew Tusaazemajja’s 8th-minute volley, there was a sense of finality about the match.
Indeed, UCLA cruised for much of the following 39 minutes, its back line and midfield snuffing out chance after chance with almost casual ease. It was only after an unmarked header from freshman forward Timmy Mueller brought the Beavers back into striking distance in the 84th minute that the Bruins seemed even remotely troubled.
And by then, any Beaver threat was too little, too late. A few tackles and throw-ins interspersed with blocks and clearances, and the game was put to bed. In all, it was a masterful performance from the Bruins, who notched their fourth-straight win to complete a perfect Pacific Northwest road trip.
On Sunday, circumstance certainly hurled its fair share of challenges at the Bruins. From a pitch that by halftime had degenerated into little more than a motley patchwork of grass and mud, to the absence of injured sophomore defender Nathan Smith who was out with a broken leg, the Bruins faced an uphill battle from the start.
“That pitch was, I think, the worst pitch we played on all season,” said freshman forward Seyi Adekoya, “It was very muddy, torn up, and wet, and so it was really hard to keep our feet and keep moving.”
With an extra man in the midfield to compensate for the loss of Smith, the Bruins played on, their crisp passing and ball movement belying the slippery surface beneath them. The team made nary a mistake until late in the game – and by then, it didn’t even matter.
As the Bruins turned homeward, bidding farewell to the soggy Northwest, coach Jorge Salcedo was excited about how his team had performed. Four wins in the past four matches, heading into a season-ending homestand? Can’t complain about that.
“It’s not ideal to play Washington and Oregon State twice in quick succession,” he said. “But we adjusted well, and after two draws up (in the Northwest) last year, it was great to come here and win both games.”
Compiled by Anay Dattawadkar, Bruin Sports reporter.