UCLA men’s soccer loses a close contest with Cal
Sophomore midfielder Jordan Vale and UCLA men’s soccer outplayed No. 1 Cal for much of the game, but a series of bad breaks left the team with a 3-2 overtime loss.
By Leonardo Villalobos
Oct. 14, 2013 12:04 a.m.
Two of the top teams in the country battled to the bone over the course of 90 minutes, but nothing was decided. Extra time beckoned, with the game and Pac-12 supremacy hanging in the balance.
And then it was over.
The No. 6 UCLA men’s soccer team gave up a golden goal in the first minute of overtime against No. 1 Cal, resulting in a 3-2 loss and capping off a day of bad breaks for the Bruins.
“There was an overlap, and a cross they hit was deflected and lands right at the forward’s feet and it was a good finish,” said head coach Jorge Salcedo. “It was a great snapshot of what happened throughout the whole game, just a little bit of bad luck.”
It was a harsh result for the Bruins (7-3-1, 2-1-0 Pac-12), who had arguably outplayed the Golden Bears throughout the game and took a 2-1 lead deep into the second half, when a controversial handball in the box awarded Cal (9-0-2, 3-0-1) a penalty kick and a way back into the match.
“I felt we were more confident on the ball. … We had more possession, we had better chances,” said sophomore midfielder Jordan Vale. “I just didn’t think Cal played that well today. Obviously they’re No. 1 so they can play better, but I definitely thought we were the better team.”
Senior forward Victor Chavez gave the Bruins the lead on a headed goal before Cal equalized off a deflected free kick. Then Vale regained the lead for UCLA going into halftime, before the timely penalty in the 76th minute ultimately sent the game into overtime.
“In a game like this, to call a penalty kick in that moment was really tough,” Salcedo said. “Sometimes you win games that you’re not supposed to and sometimes you lose games that you’re not supposed to.”
In a concise ten-game Pac-12 schedule, there’s little room for moral victories.
Despite the result, however, the Bruins may find some satisfaction knowing it took several unfortunate deflections and bad bounces to keep them from the top of the standings. The Bruins out-shot and out-possessed the No. 1 team in the country, using the game plan they had coming in over the course of 90 minutes.
“Our game plan was to keep the ball from them because they’re not very comfortable off the ball,” Chavez said. “We tried to make them run a little bit and get them tired, and it seemed to be working.”
These two teams came into the game as two of the favorites for the Pac-12 title. In the end, nothing happened to change that notion.
“We’ll see these guys again in a few weeks,” said Salcedo. “We’re going to have another chance to prove that we really are the better team.”
