M. soccer faces formidable rival
By Daily Bruin Staff
Oct. 20, 1994 9:00 p.m.
M. soccer faces formidable rival
UCLA rounds out league play against Fullerton, SDSU
By Tim Costner
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
While Cal State Fullerton usually doesn’t conjure up the image
of a great rival to UCLA athletics, for the UCLA men’s soccer team,
the Titans are easily the biggest rival that the Bruins will face
in the regular season.
And tonight, No. 6 UCLA (13-1 overall, 4-1 in MPSF) has a
definite score to settle on Spaulding Field.
"I think Fullerton for us is our USC because ‘SC doesn’t play
soccer," UCLA head coach Sigi Schmid said. "For us, Fullerton is
similar to ‘SC because these are the guys who played with our guys
on club teams. They’re the guys who our players see around in the
summer and play in the (Olympic) Festival with."
It was last season that the Titans handed the Bruins one of
their two regular-season losses, 2-1, and the Bruins still remember
the game. It would be difficult to forget.
The scenario of this season’s game is similar to last year’s
game. UCLA is atop the MPSF, and Fullerton needs a win to help get
them to the postseason.
"Last year they didn’t finish in the top two in our league,"
Schmid said. "They needed a win against us to salvage any hopes of
making the playoffs. It’s the same this year. Last year we opened
the door for them, and this year we don’t want to be as
hospitable."
On Sunday, the Bruins face San Diego State, a team that they
beat handily, 7-0, in the spring season.
But at this point, the Aztecs should put up more of a fight.
"San Diego State’s better at this part of the season," Schmid
said. "They’re generally not very good in the spring, but they’re a
very difficult team to play against. They’re very direct and they
tend to play a lot of long balls."
Friday’s game begins at 7:30 p.m. on Spaulding Field, while
Sunday’s game is at 2 p.m. on the North Soccer Field.
* * *
UCLA’s Adam Frye and Caleb Meyer will miss this weekend due to
injuries, but Frankie Hejduk  who missed some practice with a
slight injury  should be available for both games.
