EDWARD LIN UCLA midfielder Jimmy
Frazelle battles for the ball in a game against Portland
last Saturday at Drake Stadium. The Bruins play the University of
Washington today in Seattle.
By Chris Umpierre
Daily Bruin Staff
The timing couldn’t be worse.
Fresh from ending a four-game losing skid, the UCLA men’s
soccer team could really use some cupcake opponents right now to
rebuild its confidence.
Not only will they not face a cupcake tonight, they will face
the program that has given them the most problems in recent years.
They will face a team that has been a thorn in its side the last
three seasons ““ the Washington Huskies.
The No. 13 Bruins (10-5, 1-4 Pac-10) will line up against the
No. 16 Huskies (10-5, 4-1) in a pivotal conference match tonight at
7 p.m. in Seattle.
Washington has dominated UCLA recently, as they have won three
in a row and four of the last five games against the Bruins.
Included in those victories is a 3-2 come-from-behind win last
month in Westwood. Husky midfielder Ben Somoza completed
Washington’s gutsy comeback from two goals by scoring the
game-winner with just 19 seconds left.
The Huskies are also responsible for UCLA finishing second in
the old Mountain Pacific Sports Federation the last two seasons.
Underdog Washington teams have defeated the Bruins in two straight
league title games.
UCLA head coach Todd Saldaña said his squad doesn’t
yet have the feeling of a rivalry against Washington.
“I think it’s a game we need to put more emphasis
on,” he said. “I think there’s been times where
they have done well against us but we haven’t taken it as an
insult.”
If Washington continues to play the Bruins tough,
Saldaña’s squad will have no choice but to take
notice.
Saldaña said the reason the Huskies have had so much
success against UCLA is because they play a game that typically
gives the Bruins trouble. They are a very physical team, they are
organized, and they like to play a very direct style of soccer, all
of which differs from the soccer UCLA plays.
“I think we have to be more respectful of the way they
play and deal with it but still impose our style on them,”
Saldaña said. “Don’t give into the fact that
it’s becoming a physical game and just play a physical
game.
“Don’t become a team that now plays long, more
direct soccer because they are doing it.”
Another reason for Washington’s success against UCLA is
their coach. In his ninth season at the helm of the Husky program,
head coach Dean Wurzberger has turned Washington soccer into an
upper echelon program. He has taken the Huskies to five straight
NCAA tournament appearances and registered a 117-40-18 record.
Wurzberger said his team has added incentive tonight.
“UCLA is our last ranked team and our last home game of
the season,” he said. “It all stacks up to a very
important situation for us. UCLA is obviously a highly respected
team. We’ve got a chance to make a statement that we belong
in postseason, by playing well against them.”
With quality wins over then No. 1 Indiana, No. 14 Portland, and
Santa Clara, UCLA is still on pace for reaching postseason play.
Nevertheless, with the recent four-game losing streak, it has been
a rollercoaster season.
“It’s been challenging,” senior midfielder
Shaun Tsakiris said. “We’ve been up and down. We took
those four in a row that we lost. We weren’t expecting
that.
“Those games could have gone either way. We could be
sitting here in a totally different spot right now if only we had a
little luck on our side.”
UCLA hopes the ball will bounce their way in a game that
promises to add to the growing rivalry between the Bruins and the
Huskies. While the rivalry is not at the level of UCLA-Indiana just
yet, it’s getting there.
“We are building a rivalry with them,” Saldaña
said. “They probably already feel it. I think we need to get
on board so that we take this game seriously every year.”