Men’s soccer shuts out Pac-12 competition, defeats Cal and Stanford at home
Men’s Soccer v. Stanford (W, 2-0) October 2, 2011
By Daniel Khayat
Oct. 3, 2011 12:42 a.m.
For the UCLA men’s soccer team, this past weekend was one of transformations.
The pitch at Drake Stadium, normally pristine and perfectly kept, was transformed into a slick, muddy battlefield by a surprise thunderstorm on Friday afternoon. The field was so deteriorated that the Bruins moved Sunday’s game against Stanford to the nearby North Athletic Field.
Senior captain Andy Rose, a staunch defensive midfielder, transformed into a legitimate offensive threat, scoring once in each game.
Most importantly, the No. 16/25 Bruins themselves transformed from a team that allowed two goals in their loss to SMU last Sunday into a rock solid defensive unit that dominated possession, defeating California 1-0 in overtime on Friday and besting Stanford 2-0 on Sunday afternoon.
“Our approach, our attitude and our mentality were very good throughout the weekend,” head coach Jorge Salcedo said. “I was really pleased by the overall team effort.”
The Bruins (7-3-1, 2-0-0 Pac-12) have now won seven of their last eight matches, due in no small part to a newfound commitment to defensive integrity and concentration along the back line.
“I think we did a great job from front to back just closing down space and marking our men well,” junior center defender Matt Wiet said. “That led to a lot of success defensively and that translates to offensive power.”
The Bruins were very content to pass the ball around the back four, and it seemed as though the only chances California or Stanford had at all were results of counterattacks. But even those were quashed by the Bruins’ defense or redshirt senior goalkeeper Brian Rowe.
“We wanted to defend well, first and foremost,” Rose said. “The best statistic to come out of this weekend is just that: no goals against.”
Rose was also the Bruins’ main source of offensive output, scoring the golden goal in the first minute of overtime against the Golden Bears and putting the finishing touches on Sunday’s game with a penalty kick that extended the Bruins’ lead to 2-0.
“(Friday’s goal) was my first game winner, first overtime goal,” Rose said. “I’m more of a person who’s happy to see the team do well, I don’t need all of the glory, but I’ll definitely take it.”
Junior midfielder Ryan Hollingshead opened UCLA’s scoring account on Sunday with a well-placed first touch finish from the right side of the box off of senior winger Eder Arreola’s through ball.
The Bruins go on the road for their next pair of games, facing No. 22 Washington on Friday and Oregon State on Sunday.
“We need to get ourselves ready for a difficult upcoming road trip against teams who have done well so far,” Salcedo said.
