Soccer Notebook

UCLA prepares for road trip

The Bruins hit the road this weekend for two games against lower
ranked foes California and Oregon State. These smaller games become
increasingly important as the Pac-10 season winds down. They also
take on new meaning with UCLA losing two of three conference
games.

Friday’s battle with Cal (2-9-1, 0-2-1 in Pac-10)
shouldn’t present too serious a challenge to UCLA, as the
Bears have fallen out of the rankings. The Bruins will still have
to bring their A-game to Edwards Stadium and shut down forward
Kendall Simmons to avoid the losing streak, however.

UCLA hopes the showdown with the Beavers (6-6-1, 0-2-1 Pac-10)
on Sunday will be the same story as the Oct. 13 matchup, which the
Bruins won 4-1 at home. The Bruins will look to shut down forward
Matt Olsen, who leads the team with 10 points.

UCLA slips in the polls again

The Bruins’ loss on Sunday to Washington resulted in
another week of falling in the rankings. A week after dropping from
the No. 1 spot in the nation, the Bruins fell from sixth to 17th in
the NSCAA poll and from fifth to seventh in the Soccer America
rankings.

The Bruins are also ranked fourth in the media poll and ninth in
the SoccerTimes.com poll.

Tennyson has shot at another award

Senior forward McKinley Tennyson Jr. is already a nominee for
the Hermann Trophy award and now has a shot at more hardware.
Tennyson was announced as one of the 15 candidates for the Missouri
Athletic Club Collegiate Player of the Year award.

Tennyson, known as “Key” by his teammates, has
scored 12 goals and 25 points in 10 games this year.

Bruins help capture MLS title

The Major League Soccer Championship on Sunday had a decidedly
UCLA flavor as alums Chris Henderson and Tahl Jakins helped the
Kansas City Wizards defeat the Chicago Fire 1-0.

Henderson was an All-American midfielder for the Bruins from
1989-1990. This season he has become one of the Wizards’ best
players and played all 90 minutes of the championship game.

Jakins was a UCLA defender during the 1993-96 seasons. He was
also a valuable player for the Wizards, though he did not play in
the championship.

Both players also played for Colorado in 1997 when they were
runners-up.

The Chicago Fire has even more Bruins in their lineup with four
former UCLA players suiting up. Defender Carlos Bocanegra
(1997-99), midfielder Sam George (1988-91), forward Ante Razov
(1992-95), and goalkeeper Chris Snitko (1992-95) all played key
roles for the Fire.

Notes compiled by Jim Guthrie, Daily Bruin Contributor.