The Bruins dispelled scoring doubts, putting four past the Scarlet Knights.

UCLA men’s soccer (2-1-1) recorded a clean sheet against Rutgers (1-3-1) and cruised to a 4-0 victory Saturday at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. Against its future Big Ten opponent, UCLA attempted 18 shots to Rutgers’ 10, also converting more chances than they had in their previous game.

After allowing three unanswered shots in the first 15 minutes, the Bruins racked up two shots before graduate student forward Jack Sarkos tapped in a through ball from redshirt junior forward Jose Contell in the 30th minute to give UCLA a 1-0 lead.

Coach Ryan Jorden said Sarkos’ early goal was important in allowing his team to control momentum after they failed to score until the 84th minute of their last game, against Cal State Northridge.

“We hit the back of the net in the first half and that put us more in control of the game,” Jorden said. “We didn’t have enough urgency in the first 10 minutes and I think we maybe got outworked a little, but I thought we righted the ship.”

Sophomore midfielder Cam Wilkerson also scored early in the second half after collecting a Rutgers clearance from a corner and dribbling into the box.

Contell said the key to the game was playing fast possession-based soccer.

“We know that today, Rutgers – they are a team who want to keep the ball. They want to build from the back,” Contell said. “Once we start moving the ball faster, we found those spots.”

But the scoring didn’t stop there.

Graduate student midfielder Sean Karani scored a rebound in the 72nd minute to seal the game for the Bruins. It was Karani’s first goal for the Bruins, after scoring eight goals and providing 10 assists in a four-year career at Temple.

Jorden said Karani’s rebound was an important example of how the team has worked to convert more shots.

“We spent a week just working on making sure that we frame the goal and finish the second chance of a goalscoring opportunity,” Jorden said. “Obviously, he did great by hitting a good one in.”

Sarkos, who scored 17 goals in 51 games at Lehigh before moving to Westwood, scored again to add a fourth to UCLA’s tally after a left-sided cross from senior defender Tommy Silva.

Sophomore midfielder Amjot Narang added that the arrival of graduate students –including Sarkos – has been an important influence for the Bruins’ dressing room

“It’s great because you get some players who’ve been in and around college soccer for a while, and they bring experience and a little bit of leadership to the team,” Narang said.

The game represented a significant milestone for Narang, who started his first game of the season. Jorden said Narang played well.

“His ability to help us play forward from central midfield is really impressive, and so we were happy with his performance,” Jorden said.

The game was UCLA’s first clean sheet of the season after conceding goals in games against Virginia Tech, James Madison and CSUN. Narang said the victory is key for the team’s morale after a disappointing finish to its last game.

“We wanted to make sure that we ultimately got control, held the ball and ran them around a little bit and once we started putting in goals, and then it just came together,” he said.