They’ve had their share of disappointment in this young
season, losing two one-goal games to lesser-tier opponents.
Still, when members of the men’s soccer team have been
faced with a difficult test against a dangerous opponent, the
Bruins have flourished.
The test continues tonight as the Bruins face off against the
No. 3 Golden Bears on Frank W. Marshall Field at Drake Stadium.
Cal comes to UCLA with an impressive resume, featuring a perfect
7-0-1 record and the top goal scorer in the Pac-10, Calen Carr, who
has netted six goals and 14 points. Cal goalkeeper Eric Kronberg
ranks eighth in the nation with a goals against average of 0.39,
which should be significant against the Bruins.
UCLA has little reason to be intimidated, however, as they lead
the all-time series 30-7-3 and have won the last five meetings,
dating back to 2002.
“If you look at the game, they haven’t lost this
season, they have a better record, but all of that can be
misleading sometimes,”coach Jorge Salcedo said. “We
have only had one opponent in common with them so it is very hard
to judge where they are in comparison to us.
“We play in a tough conference and have had a very tough
schedule thus far, but they are legit as well. Still, to say that
we are the underdog, I wouldn’t go that far.”
The Bruins are coming off a 3-0 win against UNLV with a No. 9
ranking and a 4-2-0 record. They have proven they can handle
top-ranked teams, having already tied No. 1 ranked Indiana in a
preseason match-up and defeating No. 4 Maryland 4-0.
The team will have one off day to recuperate from the battle
against Cal before Stanford rolls into town with its 3-4-1 record
on Sunday. Marcus Ryan leads the Cardinal with three goals and
seven points this season, while goalkeeper Andrew Kartunen will
prove to be another test for the Bruin offense with his 0.24 goals
against average through four games, the third-best mark in the
nation.
Despite the strong goalkeeping of both opponents, the team has
vowed that it will not change its approach for either game and
refuses to take Stanford lightly.
“Stanford has been one of our toughest rivals through the
years,” Salcedo said. “Again, their low ranking can be
misleading. Every game with them has been tight. It’s tough
to beat them on the road and it’s tough to beat them at
home.”
Salcedo is prepared to switch the Bruins’ lineup Sunday if
the team is not fully recuperated, citing the team’s depth,
which would allow such a move in hopes of securing what he hopes to
be the second win of the weekend.
“You have to win the home games in the Pac-10, and then
win as many as you can on the road,” Salcedo said. “We
have to win both games.”