Team aims to strengthen position

Friday, October 11, 1996M. SOCCER:

Bruins face different style of soccer, determined oppositionBy
Christie DeBeau

Daily Bruin Contributor

After two consecutive victories, the UCLA men’s soccer team is
back in the swing of things with a chance to solidify its position
in the MPSF this weekend.

The Bruins (7-3) will battle Cal State Los Angeles on Friday at
7:30 p.m. and Cal State Northridge on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. Both
games will be played at El Camino College in Torrance.

"Our expectations are to win both games," UCLA head coach Sigi
Schmid said. "For sure, Sunday’s game has greater significance
because it’s a league game, and we have to approach all our league
games like playoff games.

"Right now we’re on a two-game winning streak and we want to
keep that going against CSULA, which is a quality Division II
team."

The CSULA Golden Eagles will enter the game with a record of
6-3-2, led by attacker Luis Hernandez. Hernandez, a scoring leader,
has already tallied 6 goals and 4 assists, giving him a total of 16
points on the year.

The ninth-ranked Bruins will also face a different style of
soccer, characterized by short passing and individual creativity.
This technique will present an interesting challenge for some of
the less experienced players.

"They’re a Latin-style team, so that’s a different brand of
soccer that we’re going to see," Schmid said. "It will be a good
test for our young players to see how they adjust."

Considering the rate at which UCLA has been creating offensive
opportunities in its last three games, this matchup may play right
into the Bruins’ hands.

"I think that will suit us well," Schmid said. "Now it’s just a
matter of us being able to show that we can defeat that kind of a
team as well. It’s just a standpoint of remaining confident."

Sunday’s game against Northridge is of more importance to the
Bruins since it will be their second league game.

The contest, however, is also critical for the Matadors (4-4,
1-1), who split a pair of league games last weekend. The team’s
only hope for an NCAA tournament berth is through the automatic bid
that comes with the league title, so the UCLA game will be a
priority for them as well.

"Northridge is a hungry team," Schmid said. "They feel that by
getting a win against us on Sunday, they have a shot.

"For them, their only way of getting into the playoffs is
through the league, so I expect them to come out with an awful lot
of intensity and I expect a very hard-fought game. They’re a team
that’s going to stick together and is going to fight with
everything they have."

In light of UCLA’s recent performances, this weekend’s games
will give the Bruins a chance to extend their winning streak and
further their recent offensive progress. The newly implemented
4-4-2 alignment has opened up many more scoring opportunities than
the Bruins were seeing earlier in the season.

* * *

After a shutout last weekend against San Diego State, backup
goalkeeper Matt Reis will be starting in Friday’s game while
goalkeeper Kevin Hartman will get the nod on Sunday.

Daily Bruin File Photo

Nick Theslof will lead the Bruin soccer team as it battles Cal
State Los Angeles tonight at the El Camino College field.