This post was updated Sept. 29 at 5:41 p.m.

Luck was teetering on the edge.

But ultimately, the Bruins met defeat.

“This one hurts,” said senior forward Andre Ochoa. “We try to defend our home and try to get the result every time.”

Under the Friday night lights, UCLA men’s soccer (4-3-3, 1-2-1 Big Ten) tallied its first defeat at home with a 1-0 loss against Michigan State (3-4-2, 2-1) at Wallis Annenberg Stadium.

“You can’t concede goals in the first two minutes on things that we specifically spoke about in preparation for the game, and you actually have to score goals when you have chances. We didn’t do either of those two things,” said coach Ryan Jorden.

At the start of the first half, what was originally a save by sophomore goalkeeper Wyatt Nelson was immediately rebounded with a shot from Michigan State midfielder Jonathan Stout for the first – and only – goal of the game.

Throughout the first half, fouls, challenges, close calls and the sound of a whistle were prevalent, and the Bruins only attempted three shots. The home crowd’s gasps and groans of frustration in the 31st minute filled the stands as the first half inched to a close with four corner kicks.

“Being down 1-0, there’s a sense of urgency,” Ochoa said. “Even when it’s 0-0, there still should be a sense of urgency.”

In the second half, the Bruins began to crack the ice.

The first seven minutes of the second half were met with “oohs” and “aahs” as the Bruins’ press on the Spartans’ defense led to five more attempted shots. Shot after shot, the Bruins continued to struggle, with Michigan State goalkeeper Zac Kelly shielding the opponents’ end.

Freshman forward Artem Vovk, graduate student defender Nicholas Cavallo, junior midfielder Amjot Narang, graduate midfielder/forward Sveinn Hauksson and Ochoa all attempted shots – only to again be met by Kelly’s hands.

Though shot attempts increased and multiple substitute changes were made, the Bruins still struggled to get on the scoreboard. Despite the encouraging cheers of a home crowd, the Bruins ultimately met defeat against the Spartans.

“We have a group of guys that are giving us good actions,” Jorden said. “We’re searching for somebody that scores goals. At the end of it, you’d like to find somebody who can hit the back of the net – and we have not found that yet.”

After etching their first loss in conference play, the Bruins continue Big Ten competition as they head to the East Coast for a matchup against Penn State on Friday.