Soccer alumni to play current team
By Daily Bruin Staff
Nov. 15, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 MARY HOLSCHER Junior forward Tim Pierce
keeps the ball away from a South Carolina defender earlier this
season.
By Jon Corwin
Daily Bruin Contributor
The UCLA men’s soccer team, which closed out the regular
season with a six game unbeaten streak, will play their annual
alumni game this Sunday at Spaulding Field.
Current and former MLS stars are expected to attend the yearly
event that brings together the past and present of UCLA soccer.
“This game will be a quality training match for us,”
UCLA head coach Todd Saldaña said. “We have a lot of
great players coming back for it.”
The 20th ranked Bruins (10-6-4, 5-2-1 Pac-10) will use the game
as preparation for the upcoming NCAA tournament in which they are
expected to be selected for on Monday. UCLA will also play an
intrasquad game today to stay on the Friday-Sunday game schedule
they will face if selected to the tournament.
Although the Bruins are nationally ranked, and currently sit
atop the Pac-10 standings, they are not taking anything for granted
when it comes to the NCAA tournament selections.
“We have a very strong chance of making the tournament,
but I won’t believe it until I see it up on the screen
Monday,” Saldaña said.
Junior defender Chadd Davis points to the Bruins strength of
schedule as a plus in the team’s quest for their 19th
straight tournament bid.
“We’ve played a very tough schedule this year and
have beaten some good ranked teams,” Davis said.
“It’s not just about wins and losses.”
If Stanford loses both games of their final Pac-10 matches this
weekend, UCLA would win the conference outright. One loss by the
Cardinals would result in UCLA and Stanford sharing the Pac-10
title.
Notes: Sophomore forward Matt Taylor was the
most recent UCLA player to earn Pac-10 player of the week honors
after scoring the game-winning goal against Oregon State, and
adding a goal and assist in UCLA’s 3-2 defeat of Washington
last week. Taylor is the third Bruin to earn Player of the Week
honors this year, joining two-time selection Tim Pierce and
goalkeeper Zach Wells, who saw his 541 minute consecutive shutout
streak end on Sunday.
