Fifty-four years of history, 75 matches and two conferences.

The Bruins and the Cardinal have built a coinciding legacy of men’s soccer, from their first recorded match against each other in 1968 to the 2002 NCAA championship game, in which the two programs faced off against each other.

However, Thursday night, in the 76th competition between the universities – and the last Westwood edition as members of the Pac-12 – UCLA men’s soccer (3-2-2, 0-0-1 Pac-12) missed out on a resume-building opportunity, drawing against No. 6 Stanford (5-1-2, 0-1-2) and left Wallis Annenberg Stadium with a 2-2 draw. The Bruins shared the points in the Pac-12 standings as they traded goals with the Cardinal in both halves.

During the first half, UCLA controlled possession, distributing the ball through redshirt junior midfielder Tucker Lepley. But despite an early lead in shots – including a 15th-minute header goal off of a set piece from graduate student midfielder Ryan Becher – the Bruins could not keep control of the lead.

Coach Ryan Jorden said he wished his team capitalized more on their goal-scoring opportunities.

“I think that’s the disappointing part right now,” Jorden said. “I think we felt like we played from the front twice, and on both occasions, we conceded goals that I would hope we wouldn’t.”

Ten minutes after Becher’s goal, Stanford midfielder Shane de Flores buried the equalizer just past the outstretched arms of freshman goalkeeper Wyatt Nelson, sending the clubs into halftime deadlocked.

Nelson – who Jorden said earned his second appearance in goal after a clean sheet against UC Irvine on Saturday – made three saves in the contest but could not replicate his performance in a marquee start.

Despite conceding two goals, Jorden said the performances from Nelson and sophomore goalkeeper Sam Joseph this season had inspired confidence in his goalkeeping unit.

“We know we’ve got a good competition on our hands,” Jorden said.

Lepley echoed Jorden’s thoughts on Nelson’s performance, adding that his work in practice has shown dividends.

“I tell the guys all the time, especially the younger guys, opportunities come when you least expect it,” Lepley said. “We called upon him, and I think he’s been doing really well. He’s just a kid who works hard.”

UCLA’s lack of a lead entering the second half was not due to a lack of opportunities, as the Bruins missed key chances late in the first half.

Redshirt junior forward Jose Contell held a fast break down the middle of the pitch, which led to an attempted bicycle kick for Andre Ochoa, but the senior forward battered the ball right above the crossbar for a goal kick.

Ochoa – who also assisted Becher’s goal – played a key role for UCLA, Jorden said, adding that the versatile player moved around between five positions for the Bruins during the contest.

“He knows he can solve problems for us wherever he’s playing,” Jorden said. “It’s a credit to him and how good a footballer he is.”

UCLA entered the second half with a speedy start when, in the 50th minute, graduate student forward Jack Sarkos found the back of the net off of a corner kick. But once again, the Bruins could not hold the lead, as the Cardinal evened the score four minutes later.

The Bruins continued to press throughout the second half, attempting seven corner kicks in the back 45 minutes.

Nelson credited the intensity of attacking opportunities to Lepley’s skill at commanding the field as the captain, adding that as a goalkeeper, he can only do so much with his voice when his team is out on the field playing.

“Having a guy that shows up – although he’s not the tallest guy – who wants to go into every tackle, wants to go into every fight and wants to go into battle, I think that brings the whole team together and tells everyone that ‘Hey, we’re here, we’re ready, and we’re going to do this as a team,” Nelson said.

Nelson said despite the Bruins’ lead in shots 13-10 not translating to the final score, the team’s composure and abilities will help them adjust against California on Sunday.

“We’re a brotherhood,” Nelson said.