A tale of two halves.

And luckily for the Bruins, their half was stronger.

UCLA men’s soccer (4-1-4, 1-1-2 Big Ten) took down Penn State (2-6, 0-4) 4-2 on Monday at Jeffrey Field in University Park. The game marked the Bruins’ first conference win after opening the year undefeated through five games.

Coach Ryan Jorden’s squad entered the match after dropping a 2-1 lead in the final 15 minutes to then-No. 4 Maryland, walking away with just one point instead of three.

And the Bruins looked hungry to turn things around.

Sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Tiltack started the first five games of the season but returned in the net for the first time since the squad’s 2-1 victory over Omaha on Sept. 6.

But the Nittany Lions did not give him any time to warm up. Defender Morgan Marshall ripped a half-volley across the net’s frame, forcing Tiltack to make a diving save in just the second minute of gameplay.

Then the Bruins took over, matching the attack with one of their own four minutes later.

Fifth-year forward Finot Pie lofted a cross into the six-yard box, where senior midfielder Philip Naef controlled it before sending the ball flying past goalkeeper Daniel Peluffo-Wiese – who had fallen to the ground after colliding with his own teammate – to give UCLA a 1-0 lead.

“I just want to help the team as much as possible,” Naef said. “It’s a great feeling to be able to help the team with a goal. Obviously, it was a really good cross from Finot as well. So I have to give some credit to him as well. And then just a great feeling to go up ahead in the first half and being in control of the game.”

With both teams in search of their first conference win of the season, the game got scrappy. The first half alone saw 21 fouls, and the game finished with 43, 23 fouls by Penn State and 20 by UCLA.

The Bruins persevered through the physicality, and a ball from junior midfielder Jaime Amaro over the top of the Nittany Lion defense, followed by a one-touch pass from sophomore defender Logan Hall, left the ball at the feet of Diego Castano.

The fifth-year forward took a heavy touch, setting the ball between him and Peluffo-Wiese, before sliding to tap the ball into the back of the net. The goal marked Castano’s first since his inaugural appearance for UCLA against Denver.

Just three minutes later, defender Moritz Weber clipped Pie’s ankles inside the box – one of the 10 fouls by the Nittany Lions that half – and gave the Bruins a penalty kick.

Junior defender Shakir Nixon stepped up to the spot and slotted the ball down the center of the goal, missing Peluffo-Wiese’s feet and giving the Bruins a 3-0 lead six minutes before the break.

“Goals obviously change games, and so the ability to play from the front affects the opponent, certainly gives us confidence as well,” Jorden said. “It was great that they helped us settle into the game, and then obviously getting the second goal not that long afterwards was pretty big for us because then it puts you into control. It puts you in a situation where now, tactically, whatever the opponent set up to do, they probably have to start having to rethink and making some adjustments.”

The Nittany Lions opened the second half with vengeance, forcing Tiltack to make two of his four saves through the night – tied with his season high – through the first 17 minutes of the second frame.

But he was unable to keep a clean sheet through the attacks.

Forward Etienne Reck got the ball at his feet at the top of the 18-yard box with fifth-year defender Victor Ciaurriz by his side. Ciaurriz went down holding his face, leaving Tiltack in a one-on-one with Reck, who sent the ball between Tiltack’s legs to give the Nittany Lions their first goal after a VAR review.

Nine minutes later, a UCLA miscommunication brought the squad’s lead to just one goal. Nixon passed the ball back to Tiltack, but Reck intercepted it and took a touch around the Bruin goalkeeper before finding the back of the net.

“Being three-nil up at halftime was really great for us, but we get to learn some lessons because we didn’t have the same quality and intensity in the second half and made it interesting,” Jorden said.

A shot from behind half field off Reck’s foot ended up wide of the net, and the Bruins narrowly avoided an equalizer.

UCLA was not content with a one-goal lead, though, and with 30 seconds remaining, the squad was able to double that margin. Naef found senior forward Oliver Roche with space in front of him. Roche took a dribble into the 18-yard box when Peluffo-Wiese came out of the net.

The Nittany Lion’s foot collided with Roche, who went down inside the box. Peluffo-Wiese was given a yellow card, one of six in the game evenly split between the two sides. VAR confirmed the call, and Nixon stepped up for another penalty kick.

The Cerritos, California local shot the ball to the right, the way Peluffo-Wiese went against Nixon’s first penalty kick and found the back of the net with the goalkeeper diving the opposite way. Nixon has scored a team-high five goals on the season and is a perfect four-for-four from the penalty spot.

“I was a little bit disappointed in myself (at the passing mistake),” Nixon said. “But I wanted to do everything that I could to make sure that we still got the three points out of it. And thankfully, I got another penalty at the end, which I’m thankful for Ollie (Roche) for creating that play, and I was able to convert it. And I don’t think I redeemed myself, but it did make me feel a little bit better.”

Nixon’s two goals helped the Bruins take home a 4-2 victory, marking their first conference game collecting all three points.

UCLA will turn around to face No. 7 Michigan State at Wallis Annenberg Stadium on Saturday in what will be the second Big Ten game played in Westwood this season.

“Michigan State is not a bad team, but I still believe we are capable of being the No. 1 team in the country,” Naef said. “I’m sure that the coaches will have a game plan for us. And other than that, every player should be ready to give everything and recover as much as possible from this win.”