Four second-half goals key men’s soccer win over Sacramento State in second round of NCAA Tournament
MEN’S SOCCER
UCLA 4
Sacramento State 1
By Amy Le
Nov. 22, 2010 1:19 a.m.
Sophomore forward Chandler Hoffman (right) attempts to fend off Sacramento State defender Diego Marroquin during the Bruins’ 4-1 win against the Hornets in the second round of the NCAA playoffs Sunday at Drake Stadium. Hoffman scored twice in the game, giving him a total of five goals on the year.
It was a tale of two halves for the UCLA men’s soccer team on Sunday night, as it hosted Sacramento State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Bruins started off apprehensively and were kept on the defensive side right off the bat, with the Hornets firing off four shots during the first 12 minutes.
After halftime, however, it was as if a brand new squad had taken the field, as the Bruins (15-4-1) scored four goals en route to a 4-1 thrashing of the Hornets (11-5-7).
“At the beginning of the game, I think our guys were a little bit nervous,” coach Jorge Salcedo said. “It’s our first playoff game for this group, and Sacramento State had obviously won a playoff game. We were a little bit anxious, and some guys didn’t have a great start to the game. (At halftime), we talked a little about having more composure and moving the ball.”
Sophomore forward Chandler Hoffman started the Bruins’ scoring spree in the 54th minute on a blooper play that saw a loose ball bounce around a number of players in the box before rebounding off of sophomore midfielder Evan Raynr’s body and ricocheting off Chandler for the goal.
The Bruins used that piece of luck to jumpstart their offensive momentum.
Just three minutes later, freshman forward Reed Williams was able to connect thanks to a long pass from freshman midfielder Kelyn Rowe.
Hoffman added his second goal of the night in the 72nd minute on a counterattack, with assists from Raynr and Williams.
“Luckily, (Williams) got a great touch, laid it off to me and I was just able to take the defender on with speed, and try and (make him commit),” Raynr said. “When he came, I just slipped the ball in to (Hoffman), and he did the rest.”
Hoffman’s recent success in front of the goal has had a huge impact on the Bruins’ results as of late, and couldn’t have come at a better time during the season.
“Coming back from an injury, it’s been tough having to miss the first part of the season,” Hoffman said. “But now, it’s been four games and I’ve got five goals. It’s been an amazing run and hopefully I can keep it going.”
The team went up 4-0 after freshman forward Victor Chavez scored another goal in the 84th minute, but the Hornets were able to prevent the Bruins from registering a shutout, with Ernesto Carranza scoring a consolation goal in the 86th minute.
The match may have been played at Drake Stadium, but the Sacramento State fans were out in full force, drowning out any Bruin cheers with their own taunting and screaming.
“I was surprised that they were heckling us the entire first half,” Hoffman said. “They were saying some pretty ridiculous stuff, so it was nice when we scored a couple goals because you didn’t hear much coming from their fans after that.”
After overcoming the Hornets and their fans, the Bruins will next play on Sunday in the third round of the playoffs against Dartmouth, who upset ninth-seeded Notre Dame to make it to the round of 16.
