Men’s soccer aims to finish season on strong note against San Diego State
Freshman forward Victor Chavez, seen here during UCLA’s 1-0 win against Stanford on Oct. 22. The Bruins finish their regular season Saturday.
Men’s Soccer
San Diego State
Saturday, 1 p.m.
San Diego
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No. 9 UCLA closes out the regular season on the road against San Diego State.
By Amy Le
Nov. 12, 2010 12:52 a.m.
Fresh off of two vital road victories in Washington and Oregon this past weekend, the UCLA men’s soccer team heads down south to play in its final match of the regular season against San Diego State on Saturday.
UCLA is currently riding a three-game winning streak, with all of the victories coming on the road. The Bruins (13-4-1, 7-2-0 Pac-10) hope to finish out the regular season with a win against the Aztecs (10-6-2, 3-5-1) and carry that momentum into the playoffs.
“If we get a win out there, then that will get us a big win for the rest of the (postseason),” redshirt junior goalkeeper Brian Rowe said. “I think if we go down there and get a win, then that will give us a big momentum boost for us to make a big run.”
The team’s two shutout wins on the road last weekend confirmed just how strong the Bruins’ defensive unit has become over the course of the season, allowing just two goals in the past six games. As for the other end of the field, coach Jorge Salcedo stressed last week the need for improvement in execution in front of the goal. The Bruins took the advice to heart and had no problem finishing their opportunities against Washington and Oregon. After scoring six goals in the last three games, the team has shown a reemergence of its offensive prowess.
“Our rotation with our forwards was good this weekend,” Salcedo said. “I thought that all of our forwards had a good weekend and of course (Chandler Hoffman), who basically iced the (win over Oregon State).”
The Bruins will look to continue their recent scoring surge against the Aztecs, with the possibility of securing a top-eight finish for the NCAA Tournament.
“I think the different attacking weapons that we have, our front six going forward ““ we have a lot of skillful players and a lot of speedy players,” said Hoffman, a sophomore forward. “Even Shawn Singh getting a goal from the back just shows that we’re dangerous from all positions on the field.”
With their defense and offense peaking at the most opportune moment in the season, the Bruins have full confidence in what they can accomplish this season.
“We obviously know that we can win on the road, and we’ve been able to win these last two games on the road,” Salcedo said. “I think by the time postseason comes, we’ll be battle-tested and ready to go.”
