Men’s soccer to test winning inertia in first Pac-12 matchups

UCLA men’s soccer enters Pac-12 play this weekend trending in the opposite direction of its first conference opponents.

Having lost four of their last five games and mired in their worst start in the past decade, the unranked Bruins (4-4-0) rebounded with a pair of comeback wins last week.

Over the next three days, UCLA will travel to unranked Oregon State (5-3-0) and No. 15 Washington (4-1-3) in hopes of carrying that momentum forward. The Beavers and Huskies both started 2015 strong, opening with a combined 9-0-1 record, but injuries and poor play in recent weeks have knocked them down. Neither team has a win in the past two weeks.

Even still, the Bruins aren’t underestimating their competition.

“They’re two huge games – Oregon State started out strong and Washington is always a good team,” said sophomore defender Chase Gasper. “As a whole, this is a very aggressive weekend. I remember last year, both those games were huge, physical, competitive battles.”

Offensively, it should be Oregon State on Friday night that gives the UCLA defense its biggest challenge. The Beavers are led by sophomore forwards Timmy Mueller and Jordan Jones’ nine total goals, which account for 90 percent of their offensive production.

“They’re both teams that have strikers who are big and athletic,” said UCLA coach Jorge Salcedo. “Last year, (Oregon State) had a freshman forward in Mueller who was one of the best forwards in the conference, and continues to be a dominant player physically. They’re a team that is very direct, and they play balls to their forwards quickly and often.”

The Bruins counter with a pair of their own sophomore forwards – Seyi Adekoya and Abu Danladi. Adekoya has been the shining star of the UCLA offense, with a team-leading six goals. Danladi is the team-leader in assists, tallying four in the early portion of the 2015 season.

Sunday night’s game against Washington will offer a different sort of challenge. The Huskies’ offense has only scored nine goals all season, including four on penalty kicks, but the defense has been on lockdown in their first eight games. They are allowing half a goal per game on average, and have amassed six shutouts despite only four wins.

Washington has been a stronger team in the second half of its games, allowing only a single goal so far this season following halftime. According to freshman midfielder Jackson Yueill, UCLA will need to get its footing early on.

“It’s their home field and – as we’ve learned in the past – playing away is very hard,” Yueill said. “I think if we get out to a good start, get comfortable in the game right away, things should work out against them.”

Yueill, helping step into the void left by former men’s soccer standout Leo Stolz, has seven points this year on two goals and three assists. He and midfielder Jose Hernandez have seen the most playing time of any of UCLA’s large freshman class.

As the Bruins prepare for their second big road trip of the season and their two conference rivals’ differing playing styles, Salcedo said that his team’s mindset remains constant.

“When we go on the road, we don’t change our tactics and try and play defensively,” Salcedo said. “We’ll still try and have more possession than the other team, recover the ball as quickly as possible and create goal-scoring opportunities.”

UCLA will play in Corvallis, Ore., for a midday game Friday before its Sunday evening showdown in Seattle.