The men’s soccer team hoped to carry momentum into this
weekend’s games against Oregon State and Washington. They did
and they didn’t.
They were able to carry out their goal for one game, beating
Washington 1-0, but ran out of gas against Oregon State, recording
a 1-0 loss.
UCLA (7-3, 3-1 Pac-10 ) entered the weekend winning six of its
previous seven games, yet had a reserved feeling of momentum fully
aware of the difficulties Oregon State and Washington posed.
“We know it’s very difficult to go up to the
Northwest and come away with two wins,” UCLA coach Jorge
Salcedo said before the road trip.
The Bruins’ skepticism proved to be correct.
UCLA began its challenging road trip in Seattle by shutting out
Washington 1-0 in an evening showdown.
In a highly contested and even-handed game, both squads looked
sharp, with very few miscues. As a result, defense reigned supreme
as neither team had a defensive breakdown.
The Bruins came out on top, however, as they capitalized on the
few opportunities presented to them while the Huskies failed to do
the same.
UCLA took advantage of a Washington penalty at 34:52 when junior
midfielder Patrick Ianni fired in a free kick from over 20 yards
out. Ianni’s goal sailed over the Huskies’ two-man wall
and through a group of players before finding the back of the
net.
“Placement of our goals is really important,”
sophomore defender Marvell Wynne said. “If we place our goals
in the right spots, it makes me confident.”
Ianni’s goal, his second of the season, proved to be the
game-winning shot, as UCLA kept Washington off the scoreboard all
evening.
Washington had numerous opportunities to score throughout the
night, registering 12 shots on goal. But all of the attempts were
saved by Bruin goalkeeper Eric Reed.
Reed provided his team with a safety net of sorts throughout the
whole weekend, allowing his offense to slowly find its way.
“I just have so much confidence in our defense,”
sophomore forward Kamani Hill said. “Eric always does a great
job.”
UCLA recorded its fourth consecutive shutout, which was
Reed’s sixth solo shutout of the season.
The win against Washington improved the Bruins’ perfect
record in the Pac-10 to 3-0, which was tainted two days later in
Corvallis.
Like the game against Washington, UCLA had opportunities to
score. Unlike in that game, however, the Bruins failed to
capitalize on a small number of chances. Four of UCLA’s nine
shots were on goal, two by Sal Zizzo and one each by Kamani Hill
and Patrick Ianni. All four were saved by Oregon State goalkeeper
Packy Deenihan.
The game was in a deadlock tie for the opening nine and half
minutes until the Beavers struck. Oregon State only had four shots
the entire game, but they made their only shot on goal count, as
midfielder Lucas Eganwall headed in a corner kick from defender
Alex Asai at 9:30.
While the loss put to rest any thoughts of a prolonged winning
streak, the Bruins head into the meat of their schedule knowing
their defensive front remains intact. But goals remain hard to come
by for this talented yet inexperienced team.