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UCLA men’s soccer ties with Denver in scoreless matchup

UCLA men’s soccer freshman defender Shakir Nixon runs on the field. (Darlene Sanzon/Assistant Photo editor)

Men's soccer


No. 3 Denver0
No. 6 UCLA0

By Sam Mulick

Sept. 11, 2024 8:22 a.m.

Sometimes two teams can’t be more evenly matched.

No. 6 UCLA men’s soccer (2-1-2) tied No. 3 Denver (3-0-3) in a scoreless draw Monday night at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. The game marked the last of a five home game stretch to start the season, four of which were against ranked opponents.

Junior goalkeeper Sam Joseph pitched the Bruins’ fourth shutout of the season with one save, revealing that last Friday’s 3-1 loss to Cal State Fullerton was an aberration to UCLA’s defensive line. Joseph was given his third start of the season after sophomore goalkeeper Wyatt Nelson conceded the first three goals of the Bruins’ season last Friday.

Following the loss, coach Ryan Jorden deployed a different tactical formation – one that featured a fluid backline with three defenders – and numbers on both wings. Team captain and senior defender Pietro Grassi said the team needed to improve following the loss.

“We focused on ourselves,” Grassi said. “Our identity is stronger than any opponent we could play.”

UCLA dominated possession for nearly all 90 minutes but battled against an unrelenting Denver defense, who held the Bruins to six shots.

The game marked the first career starts for freshman defensive duo Shakir Nixon and Allan Legaspi. Nixon led the Bruins on Monday night, providing threatening crosses and creative offensive movement down the right side of the field for the 79 minutes that he played.

(Daily Bruin file photo)
Freshman defender Allan Legaspi kicks the ball. (Daily Bruin file photo)

“I was playing winger today,” Nixon said. “Sometimes I was playing right back, and you could see different players swapping positions on the field. That’s due to the fact that all of us are really versatile on the field.”

Jorden said Monday’s high temperatures along with his team’s depth contributed to his tactical decision making.

“You want some freshness on the field, because maybe we stopped getting to people defensively or we’re failing to get some running that we wanted,” Jorden said. “We know with the depth we’ve got, we were able to put some guys on to make it work.”

The Bruins flirted with fate during the dying moments of the first half.

Joseph found himself one-on-one with Denver forward Bryce Willoughby. Joseph remained standing and forced the attacker onto his nondominant left foot, consequently resulting in a shot wide of the post.

“He did great. His job is to stay up as long as he can,” Jorden said. “He managed it and forced him into having to do something at a really high degree of difficulty.”

UCLA’s closest chance came in the 57th minute, when Nixon played a through ball to sophomore defender Philip Naef along the right wing. Naef crossed the ball to senior forward Andre Ochoa, who placed a shot into the keeper’s hands from the top of Denver’s 18-yard box.

(Darlene Sanzon/Assistant Photo editor)
Sophomore defender Philip Naef dribbles the ball past a defender. (Darlene Sanzon/Assistant Photo editor)

Nixon said that his teammates make it easy for him to create so many chances going forward.

“What’s giving me opportunities is the movement off the ball with my teammates,” Nixon said. “When I get the ball, and I look up, and I see players running, it gives me the ability to play passes in between the lines.”

In order to finish the chances they’re creating, Grassi said he wants his teammates to focus on the urgency of the moment, regardless of the scoreline.

“Goals are like a bottle of ketchup,” Grassi said. “They don’t come all at once. But then they come out all together at the same time.”

UCLA will have a chance to open the bottle of goals Friday when they open Big Ten play at Northwestern.

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Sam Mulick | Features and student life editor
Mulick is the 2024-2025 features and student life editor and a PRIME senior staff writer. He was previously a News reporter. Mulick is a fourth-year sociology student from northern New Jersey.
Mulick is the 2024-2025 features and student life editor and a PRIME senior staff writer. He was previously a News reporter. Mulick is a fourth-year sociology student from northern New Jersey.
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