No. 5 UCLA advances in tournament

Monday, November 23, 1998

No. 5 UCLA advances in tournament

RECAP: Penalty-kick goal,

last-minute heroics net victory over Fresno State

By Moin Salahuddin

Daily Bruin Contributor

The Final Four is now one game closer for the defending national
champion UCLA men’s soccer team.

The fifth-ranked Bruins opened up NCAA Tournament play at home
with a crucial 2-1 first-round victory over Fresno State.

The outcome was undecided until the final few minutes of play
when junior midfielder Sasha Victorine broke a 1-1 tie.

In front of a raucous 1,777-strong crowd, Victorine scored the
game-winning goal on a header with under four minutes left to
play.

"I had so much time to score," Victorine said. "I was calling
Pete Vagenas off. Their (Fresno State) whole team went for the ball
and Carlos Bocanegra fed me it."

The Bruins (17-3) and the Bulldogs (11-6-5) came out on fire
offensively, with both teams having a plethora of scoring
opportunities.

Fresno State had the best opportunity early in the first
half.

In the 10th minute, Bulldog Jesse Morgan rifled a shot over UCLA
goalkeeper Nick Rimando. The shot hit the top post and Rimando
recovered and kept possession of the ball.

"The goalkeeper’s best friend is the goal post," UCLA head coach
Sigi Schmid jokingly said.

The rest of the first half saw both teams exchange many shots,
but no goals. But that all ended in the 42nd minute.

UCLA’s offense went on the attack. The Bruins advanced the ball
quickly downfield and crossed the ball over to an open Sean
Walker.

Walker outmaneuvered the keeper and in desperation, keeper Jeff
Fluharty dragged down Walker in the penalty box. Fluharty received
a yellow card and the Bruins received a penalty kick.

"I don’t think the referee was in the right position to make the
call," Fluharty said. "I think it was a blown call."

Junior Pete Vagenas took the penalty kick and fired a shot into
the lower left corner. Fluharty guessed wrong (toward the right)
and UCLA took a 1-0 lead.

The Bruins entered halftime with a 1-0 lead and both teams
adjusted line-ups for the second half.

"I thought in the first half, outside of their (Fresno State’s)
early chance when they hit the post, we were stronger," Schmid
said.

"We wanted to place more pressure on UCLA (in the second half)
so we decided to play three up front," Chesler said. "We struggled
though. They (UCLA) have two very strong markers in Bocanegra and
Lee."

UCLA’s starting line-up did not consist of senior striker Seth
George or Victorine. Both were placed into substitution roles due
to ankle injuries.

However, both came in the match for UCLA and proved to be
integral parts of the victory for the Bruins.

"I think it was a difficult game for us today," Schmid said. "We
were coming into the match with a couple of injuries. As a result,
we were playing a midfield that’s a little bit different than
normal."

Fresno State came out aggressively in the second half, knotting
the match at 1-1 with a goal in the 72nd minute.

UCLA was clearing a ball but Fresno State recovered and crossed
to a streaking Bryan Roney. Roney fired a shot to the top right
corner, which slipped past Rimando.

However, the Bruins used their experience and talent to win the
match as they dominated the final ten minutes in the 2-1
victory.

"The second half of the game tipped a little bit more toward
their direction," Schmid said. "I thought we scored a great goal at
the end and had more chances than they did."

The Bruins will meet Creighton in the second round of action
this upcoming weekend.

"We’re going to call a faith-healer," Schmid mused.

"We need to get all of our guys healthy. I’ve seen Creighton
this year. I think we match up well with them
(Creighton)."GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Fresno State goalie Jeff Fluharty fouls forward Sean Walker. The
play resulted in a penalty kick and the first Bruin goal.

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