Maybe they needed just one last minute to extend their season.
One last opportunity at a shot on goal could have made all the
difference. So could have one of their multitude of second-half
shots that bounced or curved the other way.

For many of the upperclassmen on the UCLA men’s soccer
team, today’s match against Loyola Marymount seems very
familiar. And it should.
It will be the second time in three years that these Bruins will
face off against the Lions in the second round of the NCAA
Championships.

With its third consecutive Pac-10 title in hand, the UCLA
men’s soccer team has quickly begun to zero in on its next
task, securing a high ranking in the upcoming NCAA tournament.

With the Pac-10 title on the line this past weekend, the Bruins
did what they had to do. No more. No less.
On a chilly Friday night in Seattle, Wash., the UCLA men’s
soccer team recorded a dramatic come-from-behind 2-1 victory over
Washington to clinch its third consecutive Pac-10 title.

For the two-time defending Pac-10 Champions, it was an
inauspicious start to their season.
The Bruins dropped their first conference match in nearly two
years to the hands of a lower-ranked Washington team.

In UCLA’s upcoming match against UC Irvine, the biggest
challenge for the Bruins will be mental. The Bruins are in the
middle of a crucial series of Pac-10 games and will take a break
from conference play to face the lowly Anteaters (6-8-0) Saturday
night.

After last weekend’s wild games, the Bruin defense is
eager to get back to the consistency that it has shown throughout
the season. The Bruins allowed three goals in the second half alone
of the Cal game on Sunday, matching the total number of goals
scored against them in the entire conference season.

When standing next to him, Mike Enfield does not appear to be
intimidating.
But for his opponents, he may very well be their worst
nightmare.
Though standing only at 5-foot-7 and under 150 pounds, easily
the smallest of the starting Bruin forwards, Enfield doesn’t
let his physical stature diminish his presence on the soccer
field.

Heading into the weekend’s must-win games against
California and Stanford, the UCLA defense knew that with the
struggles the offense was having, it was going to have to post two
shut-outs in order to leave the Bay Area victorious.

How appropriate it was when, at practice this week, men’s
soccer coach Jorge Salcedo unveiled to his team a large poster of
Muhammad Ali, standing victorious over a flattened opponent.