The UCLA men’s soccer team defeated San Diego State 2-0 on Saturday to complete its perfect season in conference play.
No, not undefeated, but perfect season.
The Bruins finished 10-0-0 in conference play, without a single blemish on their Pac-12 record.
“It’s the first time, to my recollection, in the Pac-10 or Pac-12 that this has happened. In 2004, my first season as head coach, we had eight wins and two ties, but I’m fairly confident that having a perfect 10-0 season has never happened,” coach Jorge Salcedo said. “There has been a time or two where UCLA has been undefeated but not won every game outright.”
Almost as important as the perfect season is the fashion in which the Bruins won.
“The perfect season coupled with the fact that in the last five games, the second half of the season, we’ve shut out every opponent says a lot,” Salcedo said. “So not only have we won all 10 matches in our Pac-12 conference, but also the last five conference matches have been five shutouts. It’s a great accomplishment for these guys and for our program.”
Junior forward Chandler Hoffman agreed, citing the team’s rough start as motivation throughout the season.
“We thought at the beginning of the season that we had a special group of guys and after a tough start I think it says a lot about this team that we’re able to rebound and sweep conference, which is just amazing in itself,” Hoffman said. “Hopefully we can use this as a springboard as we head into the NCAA tournament.”
Like the last time these two teams played, SDSU came out firing, tallying six shots with three on goal. However, the Bruin defense stepped up, quelling these opportunities with redshirt senior goalkeeper Brian Rowe making three saves at the end of the first half.
However, as the half was winding down with the score locked at 0-0, sophomore forward Victor Chavez found the back of the net with a mere five seconds left on the clock. Chavez finished a cross off a set piece from sophomore midfielder Victor Munoz.
In the second half, UCLA continued its stout play, dominating the game while refusing to give up any serious chances. In the 82nd minute, the Bruins sealed the deal with a goal from Hoffman, who tapped the ball in off a cross from senior defender Shawn Singh.
Despite clinching the conference title last weekend against Cal, UCLA understood it had to finish its season out strongly against SDSU with the NCAA tournament looming.
“It was absolutely imperative for us to play well and win this game so we can have a really great resume for the nationals committee to hopefully make us one of the top 16 teams in the tournament,” Salcedo said.
“So winning today, I think solidifies that we should be one of the top teams in the tournament and hopefully get a bye in the first round and have a second round game at home.”