The 2016 UCLA men’s soccer season came to an end Sunday night in Louisville, Kentucky, ending a year that had its peaks and valleys.
The loss summed up the season for the Bruins, who were unable to overcome an early goal by the Cardinals en route to a 2-1 overtime defeat.
The Bruins began the early portion of the year ranked in the polls with a record of 7-3-1 and a Pac-12 record of 3-1-0. The strong start was short-lived as the team fell into a three-game losing streak en route to a dismal finish going 2-4-1 overall and 1-4-1 in conference play.
But even after going on to win only one of its final six conference games, UCLA still managed to make its 34th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
This was in large part due to the collection of players the Bruins had.
Sophomore midfielder Jose Hernandez was Co-Player of the Year in the Pac-12 conference, while fellow teammates sophomore midfielder Jackson Yueill, junior forward Seyi Adekoya, redshirt junior midfielder Brian Iloski, senior midfielder Felix Vobejda and junior forward Abu Danladi, among others, received All-Pac-12 recognition for their play.
The problem was the lack of stability and continuity within their starting 11.
UCLA found it tough to keep its best lineup on the pitch due to injury.
Highly touted freshmen goalkeeper Kevin Silva didn’t start until the middle of the season due to a broken hand that required offseason surgery, keeping him out for eight games.
Danladi played 11 of a possible 20 games due to an early-season hamstring injury, yet still managed to lead the Bruins in scoring with seven goals, including the team’s lone goal against Louisville.
The Cardinals came into the postseason having played in the Atlantic Coast Conference, arguably the toughest conference in the country. The Cardinals played six teams ranked in the top 10 and another four ranked in the top 25 throughout the year, finishing 5-5 against ranked opponents.
Ultimately their inability to finish, as has been the case all year, cost UCLA the game and their season.
Now what?
The Bruins graduate two players from their starting lineup against Louisville; Vobejda and forward Abdullah Adam. Vobejda started 18 of 20 games for UCLA this year while scoring five goals.
The rest of the starting lineup will remain intact, adding a year of growth and development to the team, assuming players like Danladi and Hernandez bypass the MLS draft.
Danladi, Silva and Hernandez could combine to lead a group that will more than likely be ranked in the top 25, maybe even the top 10 based on their talent alone.
How the team overcomes from the defeat will be telling.