UCLA men’s soccer has a history of excellence, and if all
goes as planned, new head coach Tom Fitzgerald will bring these
Bruin athletes to the NCAA tournament.
“I don’t want to lose a game,” Fitzgerald said
about his goals for the season. “Winning the Pac-10 gives us
an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. We hope to continue our 19
NCAA appearances there and go on and win “¦ that’s the
highlight for every player.”
Fitzgerald comes to UCLA after coaching Major League
Soccer’s Columbus Crew for five years, three of which saw the
team in the MLS Eastern Conference finals. Before coaching in the
major leagues, Fitzgerald coached at the University of Tampa,
Florida and has 14 years of collegiate coaching experience.
“The college atmosphere is always exciting,”
Fitzgerald said, “I was looking forward to returning to the
collegiate arena and UCLA in general.”
The team has eight returning starters, including seniors Scot
Thompson and Ryan Futagaki, and juniors Zach Wells and Adolofo
Gregorio.
Thompson, voted Defensive MVP and named to Soccer
America’s pre-season All-American team, among other
accolades, said that, “We have a really strong team. “¦
Tom (Fitzgerald) is playing a lot of guys and that increases our
depth. “¦ We’re playing really well.”
They will join forces with seven freshmen beginning their soccer
careers at UCLA this season, including two goalies, Eric Reed and
Nate Pena, one of which should emerge as the next Wells.
“Nate and Eric will have to go head-to-head for four
years,” said Fitzgerald at the Fall Sports Media Luncheon.
“Both are technically gifted, Eric being much more
communicative, Nate being taller. Nate makes spectacular
saves.”
Other entering freshmen include forward Evan Corey, midfielders
Mike Gardner, Luke Mehring and Eli Meschures, and defender Jordan
Harvey, who recently returned from Spain where he played for the
U.S. Under-20 squad.
The team has a current record of 4-0 after defeating Boston
University, Florida International University and Cal State
Fullerton at the Fullerton tournament. In the Bruins’ first
home game Sept. 15, they won 3-1. San Diego was a key game for the
Bruins, explained Fitzgerald, because last year the Bruins lost 3-0
during the regular season but beat the Tritons in the NCAA
tournament 4-0.
Schools throughout the Pac-10 are looking for a win against the
Bruins this year, who are currently ranked second in the nation in
the Soccer Times Top 25 poll.
“I’d honestly rather be the underdog,” said
Fitzgerald. “Everyone knows UCLA’s reputation and
history. We’re ranked high and focused on winning games. We
know the opponents’ perspective. By beating us, it’d
change their entire season.”
To ensure Bruin victory, Fitzgerald has played as many as 19
players in the Fullerton tournament, when usually a college roster
includes around 11.
“We need to get the guys exposure,” said Fitzgerald.
“The substitution rules are more liberal in college games, so
that keeps the guys fresh. The plays here are faster so the guys
need to think faster. “¦ Our big objective is to get the
freshmen accommodated to the speed of play.”
Opponents to watch for include national No. 1 Stanford, Rutgers
and St. Johns.
“Our big objective is to play good competition but not to
overstep our bounds,” said Fitzgerald. “We want to be
challenged but we need to balance that with a good spot in the
post-season. Every game we play will be difficult because the other
teams will be playing their best.”