When rivals meet, tempers can flare and games can grow more
physical.
Though no actual fights broke out Saturday night during the UCLA
men’s soccer team’s 2-0 win over Loyola Marymount,
confrontations abounded.
The Lions received five yellow cards and one red card to the
Bruins’ one yellow card. All told, there were 35 fouls in the
game.
“It was a battle,” UCLA coach Tom Fitzgerald said.
“It always is with LMU. We knew it was going to be that
way.”
LMU (5-3-1) beat the Bruins in the regular season last year, but
No. 2 UCLA (6-1) later won the playoff game between the two
teams.
LMU’s Pat Parker received a yellow and a red card, and was
seen pushing and shoving UCLA players after whistles throughout the
game. LMU’s Michael Brewer also received two cards, both
yellow.
“It was a very physical game," Fitzgerald said.
“There were a lot of whistles, but we had to match their
intensity. We couldn’t let them set it.”
The Bruins scored the first goal of the game in the 21st minute.
Sophomore defender Jordan Harvey dribbled through the LMU defense
and shot the ball off of the right goalpost. Freshman defender Kiel
McClung was in the right place at the right time, and kicked the
ball into the back of the net.
Of the 19 goals the Bruins have scored this season, only three
have come in the first half.
“The (first-half) goal was kind of weird,” senior
goalkeeper Zach Wells said. “That goal really helped us. Tom
really didn’t have too much to complain about at halftime.
But he did press us to get a second goal.”
And the second goal came 40 minutes later.
Freshman forward Chad Barrett used some fancy footwork to move
around a couple of Lion defenders and scored an unassisted goal in
the 62nd minute.
Barrett has been on a roll this year, having scored five goals
in seven games, only a few months removed from high school.
“Offensively my work has paid off,” Barrett said.
“I try really hard to get better at those situations, and
when they come, you’ve got to take the shot.”
Barrett’s goal was even bigger because Loyola Marymount
had been gaining momentum.
After being outshot 11-0 in the first half, the Lions were given
two golden opportunities to score a goal in the second and
couldn’t cash in either one.
In the 50th minute, LMU’s Joseph Stoakley received an
aerial pass and headed it just over the goal. After the ensuing
goal kick, a Bruin defender made an error on the UCLA side of the
field, and Stoakley had a wide-open shot with Wells 20 yards
outside of the goal. Stoakley’s kick, however, went just wide
right.
UCLA would end up controlling the remainder of play, outshooting
LMU 21-6 for the match.
All but one of LMU’s cards came in the last 30 minutes of
the game, after UCLA had a two-goal lead. Parker’s red card
in the 79th minute essentially sealed his team’s fate, as the
Lions would have had to score two goals a man down.
“It was very physical out there,” Barrett said.
“The referees did a good job of letting us play and stepping
in when they had to.”
The lone Bruin yellow card was given to Leonard Griffin in the
85th minute.
UCLA now leads the cross-town series 21-2 all-time.
“Hats off to LMU,” Wells said. “We’re
used to playing a more defensive style, but we couldn’t
against them.”