Men’s soccer shooting for No. 1
Fresno State loses, Bruins intend to move up in ranks
By Tim Costner
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The UCLA men’s soccer team may be the best in the West when the
new Soccer America polls come out this week.
After Fresno State lost on Friday, the Bruins  ranked No.
6 in last week’s polls  should easily stand above their
regional competition.
As a result, this weekend’s matches against Notre Dame and
top-ranked Indiana should not only give the Bruins a crack at the
top spot in the nation, but should also settle the rivalry between
the Midwest and the West Coast.
"Indiana is number one in the country right now and Notre Dame
has fallen off a little bit in recent years," UCLA assistant coach
Drew Leonard said. "But they’re going to want to show that East
Coast and Midwest soccer is the way to go, so they’re going to be
tough, no doubt."
* * *
One thing that should make the Bruins’ weekend go a bit smoother
is the return of midfielder Caleb Meyer, who was sidelined for two
weeks with a sprained ankle.
Meyer played the second half of UCLA’s game against San Diego
State on Sunday, and was back at full strength.
"We’re happy that Caleb came back," UCLA head coach Sigi Schmid
said after the game. "He’s shown that he’s ready for next week, so
I’m very confident going into the game next weekend."
* * *
Two potential key absences for the Bruins, however, are defender
Adam Frye and midfielder Eddie Lewis. Frye is out with a knee
injury and Lewis is out with a slight cheek bone fracture. Both
players are week-to-week, and could possibly play in Sunday’s game
versus the Hoosiers.
"We’d like to be healthier," Schmid said. "We’d like to make
sure we have Lewis and make sure we have Frye, but that’s probably
not what’s going to happen right now. But I think what this team
has shown is that different people step up on different days, so I
think we have enough people. We’re ready and I know they’re
ready."
* * *
UCLA forward Ante Razov is still the leading scorer for the
Bruins with 26 points from 11 goals and four assists. Razov has had
four game-winning goals in the last three games.
Lewis ranks second on the team with 16 points (six goals, four
assists), while Robbie LaBelle is third with 15 points (five goals,
five assists).
Goalie Chris Snitko, meanwhile, remains second in the nation
with a .45 goals against average. Snitko has 48 saves, and a 13-0
record.