Monday, November 25, 1996
MEN’S SOCCER:
Bruins’ four freshman starters stumble vs. older TitansBy Mark
Shapiro
Daily Bruin Staff
There probably couldn’t have been a worse time for the
inexperience of the UCLA men’s soccer team to surface than in their
first-round NCAA tournament game against Cal State Fullerton.
With an older lineup and a raucous home crowd in their corner,
the Titans ended the Bruins’ season with a 2-1 victory, marking
their second consecutive early-round exit.
For the first time in months, a lineup that had carried the
Bruins to the top ranking in the country showed the inexperience
that comes with starting four freshmen.
"We did not have our best game today," UCLA head coach Sigi
Schmid said. "We just didn’t have the savvy to get through this
game and Fullerton played with very good team discipline. Some of
the freshmen showed nerves and we struggled a little more
offensively."
Fullerton got on the board first on a goal in the 19th minute
when the UCLA defense broke down.
Bruin forward Seth George tallied the equalizer 14 minutes into
the second half, but the UCLA offense, which had scored 20 goals in
its five previous games, couldn’t find the net again the rest of
the day.
When the Titan’s Tom Helmer collected a loose ball in the box
and curved a shot past UCLA goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, Fullerton
secured the upset in their first tournament game in three
years.
"Throughout the year, when someone has gone up early on us,
we’ve struggled to come back," George said. "We sort of lost our
nerves."