For many sports teams, winning seven of your last eight games in any given stretch is an accomplishment worthy of kicking back and relaxing.
For the UCLA men’s soccer team, it simply isn’t enough.
“We don’t think we’re going to lose,” sophomore midfielder Kelyn Rowe said. “Ever.”
After a slower-than-expected start to the season, the No. 13 Bruins (7-3-1, 2-0-0 Pac-12) have come roaring back to life, outscoring opponents 14-7 over their last eight games, including 1-0 and 2-0 home shutouts over California and Stanford, respectively, this past weekend.
The upcoming weekend poses the new challenge of an interstate road trip, but it also presents coach Jorge Salcedo and his charges with the opportunity to start Pac-12 play with four straight victories, which would give the Bruins an early hold on the conference’s top spot.
Standing in the way of UCLA’s perfect start to the Pac-12 season are the Washington Huskies (5-2-2, 0-1-0) today and the Oregon State Beavers (3-5-1, 1-0-0) on Sunday.
“The Pac-12 I think is won and lost in the road trips, and hopefully we can do well in this first one that we have,” Salcedo said.
“This I think is the toughest road trip of all road trips in the Pac-12.”
When the Bruins arrive in the Pacific Northwest, the Huskies will surely be raring to go.
After suffering a shock 2-1 defeat to the Beavers last week, Washington dropped out of the polls and potentially straight into revenge mode.
“Washington is someone we need to be prepared for and anticipate a team that comes out and starts fast,” Salcedo said. “We need to be aware of their ability on set pieces.”
Rowe is also wary of the Huskies’ athleticism and their solid home field advantage.
“(Washington is) a very athletic team, and we’re not going to take them lightly,” Rowe said. “They always give us trouble, and Washington’s a very tough place to play at. We’re not used to the rain; we’re not used to the wetness.”
While the Beavers may not be a force week in and week out, they have shown that they have the ability to come out of nowhere and surprise a more highly touted opponent, especially at home.
Senior defender Shawn Singh is well aware of the dangers posed by Oregon State but affirmed that he and his teammates will be absolutely motivated regardless of the competition.
“Sometimes that’s been a problem with (our) squad,” Singh said.
“We kind of take some of the lighter teams for granted. But we know Oregon State is going to give us a battle, so we can’t get complacent. We have to go up there and try to do everything we can to get the win.”