The Sure Shot

The Sure Shot

For the second year,

UCLA’s Ante Razov

is the leading scorer

for the No. 7 Bruins

By Tim Costner

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

The scene on UCLA’s North Soccer Field two weeks ago pretty much
said it all.

After two seasons of postseason frustration, the UCLA men’s
soccer team was just minutes from winning its first NCAA playoff
game in three years.

And Bruin Ante Razov led the celebration.

The 6-foot-2-inch forward ­ who had just netted the
go-ahead goal late in the second half of overtime ­ charged to
the sideline in triumph, tearing his jersey off along the way.
Seconds later he was mobbed by his teammates.

This was the same player who fell to the ground in despair one
year ago on the same field, after UCLA was upset in the first round
of the NCAA tournament.

But Razov’s emotions on the field have always been rather
evident, and scoring the goal that gave the Bruins their first step
to this year’s NCAA quarter-finals had lifted a great burden from
the junior’s shoulders.

"It was the biggest relief in the last three years of my life,"
Razov said the day after the game. "It was a great feeling to score
and finally get that monkey off of our backs."

That monkey was beginning to grow rather heavy during the last
few weeks leading up to the game. Aside from a disastrous record in
recent playoff history, UCLA had hit a major scoring drought
leading up to the NCAAs. For Razov ­ the Bruins leading scorer
for the second year in a row ­ the slump was all the more
burdensome.

"It was miserable," Razov admitted. "It was frustrating because
we couldn’t quite figure out what the problem was. It wasn’t just
one particular area ­ the whole team wasn’t doing well. From
defense to midfield to offense, everyone was out of sequence and
our timing was off."

The lack of scoring certainly was puzzling, especially
considering that Razov had been on a tear over the last five games
before the Bruins hit their slump.

The striker had put in six goals and had one assist over those
five games, including three game-winning goals. Razov has scored
four game-winning goals this season, which is somewhat impressive
since eight of the players on the Bruin roster have accumulated at
least 10 points this year.

But Razov has been the catalyst up front for UCLA, taking 85
shots on goal this season, over 50 more than any other player on
the team.

"I think I’ve come a long way," Razov said. "Since my freshman
year, I think I’ve become a better player. Obviously everyone gets
bigger and stronger in college, but I’ve become a smarter player
since I’ve learned to accept what the coaches have been telling me.
It took me a while to adjust. I had thought I already knew what I
was doing."

Razov must have known a little something, since he had come out
of high school as a highly touted recruit, with offers from Cal
State Fullerton, Southern Methodist, San Diego State, Creighton and
St. Louis ­ all of which were in the national picture this
season.

But Razov had been determined to come to UCLA ever since he was
15 years old and playing on a club team with such talents as
Joe-Max Moore and Jorge Salcedo, both of whom went on to earn
All-American honors at UCLA.

And as for just playing soccer, that was something that Razov
had grown up with all of his life.

"My dad played soccer, so as soon as I was able to walk I
started kicking the ball and going to his games," Razov said. "He
played a little bit in the Second Division in Croatia, and over
here he played on a semi-pro team in the Greater L.A. league. It
was actually a pretty decent league in those days ­ a lot of
ex-professionals played in that league."

Razov looks as though he’ll also play soccer at the professional
level, and the native of Fontana, Ca., has already logged some time
internationally with what will be the 1996 Olympic team.

"International experience is invaluable even if you’re just
watching," Razov said. "I’d like to get some more opportunities
with the Olympic team, but I haven’t really had enough experience
to say that I’ve done really well or really poorly."

At the NCAA level, however, it’s safe to say that Razov has done
really well so far, and so have the Bruins, who will host the NCAA
quarterfinals this weekend. The next stop for UCLA is the Final
Four.

"I expect a title," Razov said. "But I always expect one even
though it doesn’t always work out that way. There’s been a lot of
ups and downs, but the bottom line is that we’re still in it. I
think that’s the sign of a good team. We went three weeks without
winning or even scoring a goal, and things are still looking really
good for us right now."

And Razov is ready to leave the North Soccer Field with another
playoff victory.

* * *

Sunday’s match against the College of Charleston begins at 1
p.m.