No. 16 men’s soccer faces No. 25 San Diego State’s solid offense

The Oregon State frontline duo of Brian Ramsey and Travis Sanchez played a key role in defeating a ranked San Diego State team a week ago.

Then the Beavers traveled to Drake Stadium on Sunday and were dominated by a Bruin offense that piled up 28 shots en route to a 4-1 drubbing.

But the No. 16 Bruins (7-2-1, 2-0 Pac-10) aren’t particularly interested in playing the who-beat-whom card.

“I always think it’s more important that we play with a purpose and play with a certain focus and understanding of how the game should be played,” coach Jorge Salcedo said. “I think we’re getting there, but we’re not exactly there yet, so we’ll continue to keep pushing.”

The Bruins have to be aware that their Saturday opponents, the No. 25 Aztecs (7-2-1, 1-1), are an explosive offensive team that averages more than two goals a game. Their offensive attack is led by senior forward Raymundo Reza, an All-Pac-10 performer in 2009.

His performance up to this point in the season is a big reason for San Diego State’s success. In 10 games, Reza has already found the back of the net six times. Add in four assists, and it’s obvious that he’s a lethal force in the box.

“We have to be really big defensively,” said freshman forward and Pac-10 Player of the Week Victor Chavez. “We’ll put a body on (Reza). We have to take care of the back and the front as well.”

There were times during Sunday’s match against Oregon State when the UCLA defense was stretched.

“We just tried to hold it down and keep possession,” redshirt junior goalkeeper Brian Rowe said. “They came after us a couple times, and we just tried to withstand the storm and tried to get the equalizer and that extra goal.

“We just need to continue to play our game and not adjust to (Reza). I’m sure we’ll definitely look to shut him down and try to limit his touches.”

What helped the Bruins weather the Beaver attack was certainly poise and a better understanding of positioning and angles.
But the Bruins think that there can be even greater improvement in that area.

“We’re reviewing tapes, seeing where people need to be,” Rowe said. “We still can understand the positions better. This is a new defensive line. Every game, every week of practice is sort of figuring it out and getting more comfortable with them.”

The Bruins were able to get good looks at the goal time and time again, as midfielders Ryan Hollingshead and Andy Rose were able to put Chavez, junior forward Eder Arreola and freshman midfielder Kelyn Rowe in good goal-scoring situations.

“I think all the games we’ve been playing have been a positive experience building up for the end,” Rowe said. “As the season has progressed so far, we are starting to work sharper, move the ball better and figure out our defense.”

The Bruins, who began the season with all sorts of uncertainty, are that much more certain of the team’s direction.