Thursday, March 28, 2024

AdvertiseDonateSubmit
NewsSportsArtsOpinionThe QuadPhotoVideoIllustrationsCartoonsGraphicsThe StackPRIMEEnterpriseInteractivesPodcastsBruinwalkClassifieds

Golden Eagles subdued by young Bruins

By Daily Bruin Staff

Oct. 13, 1996 9:00 p.m.

Monday, October 14, 1996

MEN’S SOCCER:

UCLA victory over Cal State L.A. proves freshmen talentBy Mark
Shapiro

Daily Bruin Staff

It was the freshmen’s night to shine on Friday when the
ninth-ranked UCLA men’s soccer team took on Cal State Los Angeles.
Having been long trumpeted as impact players on a young team, they
certainly made an impact in the Bruins’ 2-1 victory.

Freshmen Shea Travis, Pete Vagenas, Sasha Victorine, and Nick
Paneno started the game, played all or most of it, and accounted
for both goals made in the game. Moreover, they got to make the
type of consistent contributions that they have been itching
for.

"We definitely want to make an impact and it’s good that we are
making an impact," said Victorine, who posted his fourth goal of
the season in the first half. "Early in the season we weren’t
contributing as much as we thought we should have."

In the first half, the Bruins (8-3) overwhelmed the Golden
Eagles, holding them without a single shot. Victorine opened the
scoring in the seventh minute when he collected the ball from
midfielder Josh Keller. Victorine drilled the shot from 10 yards
behind the box, which struck off the sidepost into the goal.

Thirteen minutes later, another freshman marked a splendid
effort from outside the box. Travis settled a loose ball and hit a
rocket over the goalkeeper for his third goal of the season.

However, the game wasn’t nearly as close as the score would
indicate. Aside from these early successes, the rest of the game
was an exercise of frustration for the Bruins. Holding true to
previous form, the team again failed to capitalize on golden
offensive opportunities. First, forward Nick Theslof had a goal
taken away in an offsides call. Next, defender Tahj Jakins missed
an open goal with a header. Then Theslof and forward Tom Poltl both
failed to take advantage of opportunities in front of an open
net.

All those cracks in just the first half give credit to an
exciting offense, but are also symptoms of a greater problem.
"We’re still not the best at finishing the opportunities that we
have," UCLA head coach Sigi Schmid said. "We have to become better
at that to really become a top-notch team and get as far as we want
to go. We have to finish those opportunities."

The second half was more of the same as the Bruins were unable
to capitalize on many given chances. The UCLA defense was just as
sharp, but Cal State L.A. posted its first shot on goal in the 49th
minute of play.

Unfortunately, for all their creativity and effort, the Bruins
came away with another handful of missed chances, including a pair
of stymied breakaways by forward Seth George.

"It’s a mindset," Theslof said. "The ball’s there, it’s mine,
I’m going to score, no questions asked. You’ve got to be assertive
with the ball."

The Bruins were also hampered by a number of offsides penalties
(mostly in the second half) as the Golden Eagle defense pushed up
in the middle. Though the Bruins may have failed to adjust to this,
a number of dubious calls ended some fantastic runs.

With five minutes left and a 2-0 lead, things began to get
interesting. In the 84th minute, UCLA goalkeeper Matt Reis came up
with a breathtaking one-handed save on a shot headed for the top
right corner of the net. One minute later, however, defender Kevin
Coye failed to put enough zip on a pass to Reis and a Golden Eagle
attacker intercepted it and found the goal. In the last five
minutes, the Bruins were able to make their one-goal lead stand up
to close out the victory.

UCLA’s Sunday game vs. Cal State Northridge occurred too late
for this edition.

PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin

Freshman Sasha Victorine (right) scores his fourth goal of the
season in the first half against Cal State L.A.

Share this story:FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
COMMENTS
Featured Classifieds
More classifieds »
Related Posts