UCLA men’s soccer team shoots past Oregon State Beavers in high-offense match, 4-1
By Chris Chen
Oct. 4, 2010 1:44 a.m.
It was early in the second half and Oregon State goalkeeper Steve Spangler had had it, throwing his hands up in frustration. Under fire throughout the first half, the Beaver defense yielded five more shots within the first 12 minutes of the second phase.
His back line had already given up 14 shots, seven of them on goal in the first half.
Though the No. 20 UCLA men’s soccer team (7-2-1, 2-0 Pac-10) ultimately won 4-1, its seven first-half shots on target yielded just one goal ““ a 10th-minute shot into the left corner from freshman Reed Williams.
“The first half, we were able to dominate and keep possession,” redshirt junior goalkeeper Brian Rowe said. “That’s exactly what we are used to and wanted to do, but we weren’t able to get that second goal to put them away. (Without that goal), anything can happen ““ they can get that one goal and get right back in it. At halftime, we emphasized just getting after it and get that second goal and put them away.”
Oregon State came out pressing to open the second half, and Rowe found himself overplaying the ball on a couple occasions. The Beavers (6-3, 1-1 Pac-10) would fail to capitalize, with the closest shot ricocheting off the top crossbar.
On the cusp of blowing the game wide open on several occasions, the Bruins now found their backs against the wall with the likes of Beaver attackers Brian Ramsey and Travis Sanchez coming frighteningly close to equalizing the score.
The Bruins had an answer, though, and it was in freshman forward Victor Chavez, who entered in the 65th minute. His presence was immediately felt.
Off a deflected shot from junior forward Eder Arreola in the 69th minute, Chavez found the back of the net to give the Bruins the breathing room they sought at halftime.
“It was just energy, I guess,” Chavez said. “I was just excited to go in. … I came in during the second half and said (to myself), “˜You have to score.'”
But it wasn’t the deflection that proved to be the defining goal of the afternoon.
The Bruins kept stretching the Beaver defense, and, in the 73rd minute, Chavez took a pinpoint Andy Rose through-ball from midfield and cannoned it past Spangler. Seconds later, sophomore Ryan Hollingshead found a trailing Chavez again for another goal into the left corner.
Chavez’s hat trick was the first by a UCLA freshman in 24 years, and the Bruins rode his performance to victory.
“It felt good (getting the hat trick),” Chavez said. “As a team, we are young on paper. But thankfully, we are getting minutes as freshmen. There aren’t a lot of upperclassmen at our positions. I feel really blessed to come here and play these minutes and getting these chances to score.”
The freshman played an integral part in the UCLA attack, yet it was as fluid of an offensive game as the Bruins have played all season. With this performance, perhaps the team is shedding its inexperienced label.
“Once you get halfway through the season, it’s no longer a freshman thing,” coach Jorge Salcedo said. “These guys have 10 games of experience and we can’t keep hanging on the fact that we’re young. We are halfway through the season now, and we’ve grown as a group.”
