Men’s soccer approaches shutout record from 2019, looks ahead to LMU match
Junior defender Ahmed Longmire was part of UCLA men’s soccer’s effort in blanking San Francisco in his first game as a Bruin after transferring from Utah Valley University. (Alex Driscoll/Daily Bruin staff)
By Jake Greenberg-Bell
Feb. 11, 2021 12:56 p.m.
It only took one game for the Bruins to get within striking distance of last year’s clean sheet total.
In 2019, UCLA men’s soccer’s (1-0) goal-scoring totals were good enough to land them third in goals per game in the Pac-12. However, it finished second to last in the overall standings.
At the same time, the Bruins conceded on average more than two goals per game and held their opponents scoreless twice over their entire 2019 campaign. It was the fewest clean sheets they had recorded in a season since their first year on record in 1999.
UCLA then brought in four new defenders in the offseason and subsequently started its 2020-turned-2021 season with a 3-0 win and clean sheet to boot.
“I thought we grew into the game as it went, which was always going to be the case after, you know, 15 months without playing a proper game,” said coach Ryan Jorden. “I think the guys understand that if you play at UCLA, everybody’s going to come play and fight against you. But you’ve got to be able to match and exceed the opponent’s fight and work ethic.”
Of those new defenders joining the team, three saw the pitch in Monday’s win, and the impact was immediate on the defensive and offensive end. Freshman defender Tommy Silva notched an assist, and freshman defender Pablo Greenlee scored the second goal of the match.
“The freshmen really came out and they did their thing, and they helped the team out so much,” said sophomore midfielder Riley Ferch. “The group of guys that we have now, they all want to win and I think they showed it.”
On the defensive side, junior defender Ahmed Longmire – who transferred from Utah Valley University after earning First Team All-WAC honors in his sophomore year – started the game at full back as the Bruins kept the Dons scoreless.
Looking forward, UCLA’s backline will have to face higher-scoring teams than San Francisco, which only scored nine goals over the course of its entire 17-game 2019 season. UCLA’s next game Friday is against LMU which is ranked No.15 in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer. Should it secure a clean sheet in that match, the team will have matched its 2019 total.
“(LMU was) ranked 17th going into the season and you know they’re going to be tough, so we can’t take this game lightly,” said senior defender Ben Reveno. “We’re here to prove a statement and I think this is a good start.”
