The Bruins have been waiting for this all season. A moment to
finally break out.
And now it seems the No. 6 UCLA men’s soccer team is doing
just that.
Riding a five-game winning streak behind the resurgence of
forward Chad Barrett, the Bruins recorded a 1-0 road shutout
against UC Irvine this Saturday.
“I’m getting progressively better throughout the
year and like I said before, the goals are going to come,”
said Barrett, who scored off a cross from freshman Marvell Wynne at
the 1:05 mark of the first half.
“(Defenses) have a lot to worry about. We have Mike
(Enfield), Kamani (Hill) and myself. If one isn’t scoring the
others are going to pick it up. All of us are clicking and we
can’t wait because we haven’t even hit our peak
yet.”
Barrett has scored in each of the past three games and has
picked up one assist as well. Prior to this sudden offensive
onslaught, the 2003 Pac-10 co-Freshman of the Year had tallied only
one goal all season. However, his teammates felt it was only a
matter of time before the goals started coming.
“His performance has been great all season,” Enfield
said. “He’s always created chances for himself and
other people and of late he’s been scoring his chances
now.
“He hasn’t been doing anything different.”
With another Bruin forward becoming a greater scoring threat,
opposing defenders no longer can key in on the Pac-10 scoring
leader Enfield, which should open up more scoring chances for
Enfield and the rest of the Bruin offense.
The non-conference win in front of 1,230 fans at Anteater
Stadium was the Bruins’ (10-2-2, 5-1-0 Pac-10) fourth shutout
of the year.
Saturday’s performance was even more impressive
considering UCLA’s defense had allowed three consecutive
goals in a 17-minute span to Cal in last week’s overtime
victory. But senior defender Aaron Lopez believes that
Saturday’s game was more of the norm.
“(The defense) isn’t really gone, we’ve been
good all year,” Lopez said. “We’re known for
having a strong defense; it’s pretty hard to break, and this
game is just another example of that.”
Although the game was a non-conference match, the victory
reaffirms the strides the Bruins have made since earlier in the
season. Freshman forward Kamani Hill attributes the improved play
to the chemistry that has developed within the team.
“Once we bond and once we get chemistry, it’s hard
to break,” Hill said. “On and off the field, everyone
is enjoying everyone’s company.
“And I feel that’s one of the most important things
a team can have.”
One thing that remains on the minds of many UCLA players is
securing the top spot in the conference.
With the loss by Washington to Cal this weekend, the Bruins now
sit atop the conference as they vie for a possible first-round bye
in the NCAA tournament and home-field advantage for the better part
of the postseason.
Now the Bruins find themselves in position to bring home their
third consecutive conference title with just four games remaining
in the regular season.
“We can’t afford a loss,” Hill said.
“The team is playing really well and it’s very
inspiring to have a five-game win streak.
“We’re taking every game like it’s the
championship.”