UCLA men’s soccer ties Stanford after weather prevents overtime
Redshirt freshman forward Jose Contell dribbles past a falling Loyola Marymount defender. Contell scored the lone goal in UCLA men’s soccer’s first tie of the season Sunday against Stanford. (Vivian Xu/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Men's Soccer
| No. 22 UCLA | 1 |
| Stanford | 1 |
By Lexi Grimes
Oct. 25, 2021 12:17 a.m.
For the second time this weekend, the Bruins were unable to win on the road against a lower-ranked team.
No. 22 UCLA men’s soccer (8-5-1, 3-3-1 Pac-12) was unable to secure a victory over Stanford (5-5-4, 2-3-2) on Sunday afternoon, finishing 0-1-1 on its weekend trip to Northern California. The match was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation but was unable to continue into overtime because of the rain, resulting in the first tie of the season for the Bruins.
Sophomore forward Grayson Doody said while the rain changed the dynamic of the game, the team was able to adjust and still play its best.
“We got the word that it was gonna be a pretty chaotic game in terms of the field being slippery and raining,” Doody said. “The weather was going to have some effect on the ball speeds and how we played, but I think we dealt with it really well.”
In the first half of the match, both teams recorded three shots and failed to get on the board.
The game also featured 27 total fouls – seven of which were called on UCLA – and a yellow card on both sides within the first half.
Redshirt junior midfielder Jose Sosa attributed the physicality of the game to the rivalry between UCLA and Stanford.
“We knew going into the game it wasn’t going to be fun,” Sosa said. “We have this little rivalry with Stanford that goes back a few years so we knew it was going to get chippy from the beginning.”
UCLA recorded seven additional shots in the second half, while Stanford was able to record six shots in the second 45 minutes. Both teams were able to find the back of the net once.
The first goal of the game came in the 74th minute of the game after a corner kick from redshirt freshman midfielder Tucker Lepley. The ball sailed into a cluster of players positioned in front of the goal, and redshirt freshman forward Jose Contell was able to tap the ball past the Cardinal goalie to put the Bruins on the board.
Eight minutes later, Stanford was able to get on the board off a set piece. A free kick for the Cardinal rebounded off senior goalkeeper Justin Garces to Stanford defender Noah Adnan, who was able to find the back of the net.
At the end of regulation, the game was tied at one goal apiece. However, the referees determined that the weather conditions were too dangerous and called the game a draw.
Coach Ryan Jorden said the team was disappointed it did not get the option to continue playing.
“Our guys were obviously disappointed not to play overtime because I think we felt good about the prospects of getting a second (goal),” Jorden said. “The referees deemed that it was getting unplayable and dangerous so we did what we could do.”
With the tie, the Bruins are now 1-3-1 on the road this season. The draw also dropped UCLA to two points behind No. 1 Washington and three points behind No. 8 Oregon State in the Pac-12 standings.
Doody said while the Bruins are aware of the rankings and their importance, they are taking the schedule one game at a time.
“All we can do is take each game how it is and try and get the best result possible,” Doody said. “We know if we perform at all these games, then maybe it will get us the bid, but right now it’s just game by game.”
UCLA will be back in action next week at home against Washington and Oregon State.
