Cal 17 UCLA 6
By Will Whitehorn
Daily Bruin Contributor
Stingy defense by Cal and missed opportunities by UCLA (2-2)
combined to hand the Bruins a 17-6 loss to the No. 3 Golden Bears
in men’s lacrosse last Saturday at the IM field.
In its season opener, Cal was aggressive on both offense and
defense, jumping to a 9-0 lead midway through the second
quarter.
In contrast, UCLA appeared lethargic. In spite of the slow
start, the Bruins had several chances to trim their deficit, but
faltered near Cal’s goal.
“We had a couple opportunities early that we didn’t
cash in on,” said Bruin Head Coach Mike Allan. “Cal put
a good run together and scored a few goals, and it was sort of hard
for us to battle back from that. We didn’t do a good enough
job possessing the ball on offense, and that showed on the
scoreboard.”
UCLA cut the lead to 9-2 by halftime, slowing the pace of the
game through ball control and better execution on offense. The
score was 10-3 by the midpoint of the third quarter, but Cal still
managed to further stretch their lead.
“I think we got lucky because they’re a little young
and inexperienced,” said Cal Head Coach Joe Proud.
“UCLA is a good team that is only going to get better. The
score really wasn’t indicative of the difference between the
teams.”
Cal was paced by twin seniors Chris and Kevin Moon, who had
three goals apiece. Alan Kurpieski and Eytan Elterman each had two
goals to lead the Bruins.
The Bruin loss comes after convincing wins over Loyola Marymount
(9-8) and USC (14-5). UCLA plays host to San Diego on Saturday,
where they hope to improve on their record.
“I think they’ll come along as the season
develops,” Proud said. “(UCLA) played very sound,
fundamental ball, they’ve got an excellent coach, and they
just need a little experience for their younger guys.”