UCLA men’s soccer shuts out San Diego State 1-0

Heading into Saturday night’s match against San Diego State, the UCLA men’s soccer team was unquestionably aware of its opponent’s explosive offense.

But the No. 16 Bruins (8-2-1, 3-0 Pac-10) didn’t let that intimidate them, as they held the No. 21 Aztecs (7-3-1, 1-2) scoreless in a 1-0 victory at Drake Stadium.

Freshman midfielder Kelyn Rowe scored the game-winner in the 77th minute, his fourth goal of the season.

Despite boasting one of the Pac-10’s leading scorers in senior forward Raymundo Reza, San Diego State was shut out for only the second time this year. Coming into the match, the Aztecs had been averaging more than two goals a game.

Both sides were held scoreless in the first half, with the Aztecs out-shooting the Bruins six to four.

There were a handful of missed opportunities on goal for the home team. The Bruins came dangerously close to finding the back of the net in the 44th minute with a shot on goal by sophomore midfielder Ryan Hollingshead, one of six such total attempts by UCLA.

The Aztecs would have their fair share of chances in the second half, with several shots that were saved in dramatic fashion by redshirt junior goalkeeper Brian Rowe.

Reza blasted a shot on goal in the 75th minute that resulted in a diving save by Rowe, sending the crowd into a frenzy over Rowe’s acrobatic leap.

The Bruins finally capitalized on a scoring chance in the 77th minute, when freshman forward Zack Foxhoven weaved in and out of an array of Aztec defenders down the left side before sending a pass to Rowe across the field.

From the top of the box, the Bruin midfielder blasted a shot that slid past redshirt senior goalkeeper Brad Byrns for the only goal of the game.

The Bruins are now on a four-game winning streak and remain undefeated in conference play. UCLA heads up to Northern California next week for a pair of matches against Stanford on Friday and California on Oct. 17.