Team ends losing streak by overpowering Pilots

  EDWARD LIM Portland goalkeeper Curtis
Spiteri snatches the ball away in the nick of time as UCLA
forward McKinley Tennyson, Jr. charges the
goal.

By Jim Guthrie
Daily Bruin Contributor

The No. 15 UCLA men’s soccer team finally put an end to a
nasty four-game losing streak, and they did it in impressive
fashion, taking care of No. 14 Portland 3-1 Saturday at Drake
Stadium.

The Bruins (10-5) got help in the victory over Portland (8-5-2)
from some unlikely sources as sophomores forward Chadd Davis and
midfielder Jimmy Frazelle both scored, along with one goal from
senior midfielder Shaun Tsakiris. The Bruins also got some
impressive shot stopping from freshman goalkeeper DJ Countess, who
had a solid core of defenders backing him up.

“I was very pleased with three goals but I think the most
important thing was that we were all on the same page
defensively,” Bruin head coach Todd Saldaña said.

“All 11 guys were thinking about defending. We were
organized and committed.”

The Bruins opened the game with a wealth of scoring chances,
primarily centered around their go-to weapon, senior forward
McKinley “Kei” Tennyson Jr. Tennyson missed
opportunities in the early minutes but was a key figure for the
first score. At 8:23, Tennyson found a streaking Davis, who blew by
a couple of defenders and powered the ball past Portland goalie
Curtis Spiteri.

“I finally got some playing time and got a goal,”
Davis said. “Kei got the ball on the outside and my man left
me to guard him. He played it through and I got in the box and
finished it.”

A flurry of shots from both teams sailed wide, including an
attempt by Tennyson off the crossbar. But the Bruins found the net
again in the 22nd minute. Tennyson found an opening in the middle
of the box but was pulled down from behind and awarded a penalty
kick. Tsakiris fired the ball to the right of the net, Spiteri dove
to the left, and UCLA led 2-0.

In the second half the Bruins looked sloppy at times and were
not able to capitalize on many scoring opportunities. This left the
squad open to the Pilots’ fierce offensive attack, led by
U.S. Olympic team forward Conor Casey. While Countess stymied Casey
for the duration of the game, other Portland players took charge,
such as forward Brandon Henley, who saw three shots go wide.

In the 52nd minute, a Portland corner kick to the box was played
back to Brandon McNeil, who pounded the ball into the back of the
net to bring the score to 2-1.

But the Bruins would not be deterred and they fought back with a
flood of shots. In the 82nd minute their attack paid off when
Frazelle found himself open in the middle of the box. Spiteri left
his post and the ball rolled to Frazelle and he needed only a tap
of the ball to drive the nail into the coffin.

For a former No. 1 Bruin squad that is coming off a four-game
losing streak, a win like this has been long overdue.

“We haven’t had good luck so far,” freshman
defender Alex Yi said. “This win gives us more confidence as
a team and as a whole. We just need to stay as a team because that
has been our biggest problem. If we stay as a team I think we can
be unbelievable.”

The Bruins travel to Washington on Friday to revenge their Oct.
15 loss at home to the Huskies. UCLA must focus its energy from
Saturday’s victory and keep together the camaraderie that was
present against the Pilots.

“I think the most important thing we worked on was our
confidence and believing we could be a good team and hold a
lead,” Saldaña said. “I don’t think it is a
matter of certain types of training or changing personnel. It was a
matter of scoring goals and playing well against a good
team.”