After playing three straight games over two weeks on the road, the No. 4 UCLA men’s soccer team returned home to Drake Stadium on Friday to take on the No. 10 California Bears in the Bruins’ fourth Pac-10 game of the season.
The Bruins won 1-0 on senior striker David Estrada’s 15th-minute goal from the top of the box, and senior goalkeeper Brian Perk’s spectacular performance in goal in the second half ensured that the Bruins would walk away with a victory.
Estrada, who was recently moved to striker from his left midfield position, has now scored two goals in the Bruins’ last two games.
“If you ask me, I’m a natural-born striker,” said Estrada, who led the nation in assists with six until two weeks ago.
The win takes the Bruins to 7-1-2 and 2-0-2 in the Pac-10. The Golden Bears (8-4-0, 2-2-0) have now dropped two of their last three games.
“It’s nice to have support, with people living and dying on every chance,” Perk said. “I heard people going wild; there were people painting their faces. It was a great atmosphere.”
UCLA simply dominated play in the first half, outshooting California 12-1 in the first 45 minutes, compared to 7-7 in the second stanza. Their first-half prowess is something of a revelation; prior to this game, 13 of the Bruins’ 19 goals were scored in the second half.
“We talked about coming out, getting after them and letting them know from minute one of the second half that we weren’t going to sit back,” UCLA coach Jorge Salcedo said. “We were pleased that the first 45 minutes were probably the best 45 minutes of the season for us.”
After looking lost for most of the first half, the Bears came out of the locker room with newfound conviction and pushed forward in the second half. Perk, who went relatively untested for the majority of the first half, was called into action on multiple occasions in the second and made a highlight-reel save on California junior midfielder Hector Jimenez at the top corner in the 79th minute.
UCLA senior defender Sean Alvarado had a goal called back for offside in the 74th minute.
The match also marks the end of UCLA senior midfielder Kyle Nakazawa’s five-game streak of scoring at least one goal per game. However, he provided the assist along with junior defender Shawn Singh on Estrada’s goal, which means that Nakazawa has either scored or assisted on each of the Bruins’ last eight goals. He has recorded a point in each of his last eight games and leads the team with 21 points on the season.
The Bruins will face the No. 18 Stanford Cardinal (8-2-1, 2-1-1) on Sunday at 2:30 at Drake Stadium.