The UCLA men’s soccer team took a break from their rigorous Pac-10 conference schedule and traveled 17 miles up the 405 Freeway to take on the Cal State Northridge Matadors on Wednesday.
However, the Bruins did not get a respite from the trials of tough competition. UCLA came out on top 2-1, but the win was anything but easy.
“It was a challenging game for us tonight,” coach Jorge Salcedo said. “What I was proud of with our guys was that we defended well in and around our box, didn’t give up much, and did a good job not to get broken down that often.”
The Bruins came out victorious despite the Matadors having the lion’s share of possession throughout the second half, when they tallied 13 of their 22 shots.
An early pair of goals from freshman forward Victor Chavez in the third and 13th minutes was just enough for No. 15 UCLA (11-4-1, 5-2 Pac-10) to eke out the win after a tough Friday-Sunday homestand against conference rivals Stanford and California.
“This was a tough game,” Chavez said. “I think it had a lot to do with the last two games we played this weekend. We were emotionally, mentally and physically tired.”
Chavez scored his first on a header off a Reed Williams cross, but his second goal ““ which gave him seven on the year, now good for first on the team ahead of freshman midfielder Kelyn Rowe ““ was a sight less commonly seen on the pitch.
“(There) was a corner kick,” Chavez said. “(The ball) bounced off a defender’s head, and I saw the ball bouncing up, and just (bicycle kicked) it in. It was pretty nice.”
Chavez’s bike proved to be vital for the Bruins, as Matador redshirt junior midfielder Jeremy Hohn scored on a rare first-half Northridge attack just five minutes before the halftime whistle, swinging momentum in favor of Northridge (2-12-2, 1-5-1 Big West) heading into the interval.
“They scored a goal pretty much against the run of play in the first half that gave them momentum and confidence,” Salcedo said. “There was a pretty strong wind (in the stadium), and they had the wind in the second half, so it made it somewhat of a territorial game for both teams.”
“A lot of it was just due the wind and the energy that (Northridge) came out with.”
UCLA came out of halftime looking to play the possession game and keep Northridge off the ball, but the Bruins’ strategy was quickly thrown to the curb by the relentless Matadors, who attacked with abandon in the second half.
From here on out, the Bruins have three games remaining in the regular season. All three are Pac-10 conference games against Washington, Oregon State and San Diego State, and all three take place on the road.
Friendly foe
Former Bruin reserve goalkeeper Joe Scachetti started in goal for the Matadors, but was pulled at halftime for regular starter Michael Abalos after allowing both early goals.
“We loved having (Scachetti) at UCLA,” Salcedo said. “He did a good job for us while he was at UCLA, and tonight he got the start in goal against us. Joe made a couple good plays, and I’m sure he was anxious and nervous to play against us.”
Scachetti transferred from UCLA at the end of last season.