Men’s soccer allows late-game comeback, falls to Oregon State

The Bruins have taken their first loss in conference play this season.

No. 23 UCLA men’s soccer (6-3, 2-1 Pac-12) was defeated by Oregon State (5-1-1, 1-0) on Thursday night in Corvallis by a score of 4-3 to fall to 1-1 in away games this year. The loss is the second for the Bruins in their last eight games and marks the first time this season the team allowed more than two goals.

The Beavers got on the board first in the 23rd minute, with forward Adrian Molina-Diaz finding the bottom left of the goal with a shot off his left foot to put the Bruins in a 1-0 hole.

The score broke a three-game streak in which UCLA scored the first goal of the game, but coach Ryan Jorden said the team did not allow the early goal from its opposition to rattle them.

“We did a really good job settling into the game after that point,” Jorden said. “We obviously didn’t do a great job defensively in a couple moments and put ourselves in a tough spot but I was proud about our recovery after that.”

The Bruins responded with a score of their own less than 10 minutes later when redshirt freshman forward Jose Contell notched his second goal of the season by striking the ball past the Beaver goalkeeper following a dummy run from senior forward Kevin Diaz.

After tying up the score, UCLA wouldn’t have to wait long to claim its first lead of the game. Just four minutes later, Diaz nailed a header into the bottom left of the goal for his third score of the year.

Diaz – who has produced six shots on goal in the last four games after failing to tally any in the previous five games – said his teammates have been a major reason for his improvement as both a leader and soccer player this season.

“They always push to do harder, and during practice, we don’t let anyone slack off,” Diaz said. “It’s not just on me. Everybody’s helping me improve and vice versa as well.

Following 17 scoreless minutes to open up the second half, thanks in part to a save from senior goalkeeper Justin Garces in the 55th minute, junior midfielder Riley Ferch became the third Bruin to find the back of the net, securing a pass from Diaz in a 2-v-1 play and increasing the Bruins’ lead to 3-1.

However, three different Beavers rattled off three consecutive goals – including the second of the game for Molina-Diaz – in just over three minutes beginning at the 64-minute mark, shifting the score to 4-3 in their favor.

Garces produced another save in the 85th minute to keep it a one-score game, allowing for one more chance to send the game to overtime. But a shot from redshirt freshman midfielder Tucker Lepley a minute later missed the mark.

The senior goalkeeper ended the night with a season-high four saves, as the Bruin defense allowed 16 shots and four goals – both season-high marks.

“We as a team need to collectively be more organized and sound with understanding what the opposition is giving us and then what they’re bringing,” Garces said. “We need to try to keep (the ball) as long as possible so that we can prevent the team from having any chances.”

UCLA will next face off against No. 2 Washington on Sunday, who has outscored the Bruins 15-1 in the last five meetings between the teams.