By the end of the weekend, the No. 9 UCLA men’s soccer
team had gotten more than just the two wins it needed to get back
to the top of the conference.
It had done the unthinkable.
It had done something previously unheard of in the Pac-10.
With a 1-0 victory over Oregon State on Friday and a 1-0 win
over Washington on Sunday, the Bruins finished their regular season
of home play without allowing a single goal.
“It’s a pretty nice feeling,” junior
goalkeeper Eric Reed said after recording his 10th solo shutout of
the season.
“It’s not a bad deal, and it’s not a bad gift
to give our seniors as they leave this year, to know that they went
through this whole season without allowing a goal at home,”
he said.
Reed leads the nation with a goals-against average of just 0.23
and has helped propel a Bruin team that is struggling offensively,
especially when trying to convert on scoring chances.
But UCLA coach Jorge Salcedo was pleased with the fact that the
Bruins were actually able to create those opportunities and convert
on one in each of their games this weekend.
“We obviously had some chances once again, but like I told
the guys, I’d be more concerned if we weren’t creating
chances,” Salcedo said. “In soccer, sometimes
it’s a difficult thing to be dangerous and create chances,
but we’ve been creating chances.”
The Huskies also had their fair share of opportunities Sunday,
as the two teams battled in a first half that was full of scoring
chances and just as many saves by Reed and Washington State
goalkeeper Chris Eylander.
After a scoreless first half, the Bruins found themselves on a
breakaway in the 61st minute, with freshman Sal Zizzo in control of
the ball.
He crossed the ball over the middle to sophomore forward Kamani
Hill.
“Before that, I took a shot when Kamani was open, and then
he was calling for it again and I just gave him the ball,”
Zizzo said.
After faking the defender, Hill took a shot that curved past
Eylander into the back of the net.
“It’s something you practice every day ““
getting in the box and finishing,” Hill said. “I was
just like, “˜I’m trying to get it to the back
post.’ That was all that was going through my head, and I got
the shot off before (the defender) could close me down.”
Salcedo had been hoping for strong offensive performances, and
was glad Hill stepped up to lead the Bruins with two game-winning
goals in as many games.
“We needed someone to step up and score goals, and Kamani
scored two goals this weekend to get us in a great spot,”
Salcedo said.