COURTNEY STEWART/Daily Bruin Sophomore Matt
Taylor takes the ball away in last Sunday’s soccer match
against Loyola Marymount. UCLA d. SDSU, 2-1 USD d. UCLA,
3-0
By Vytas Mazeika
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The UCLA men’s soccer team salvaged its trip to San Diego
with a 2-1 win over San Diego State on Sunday, but are still left
with the bitter taste of Friday’s 3-0 loss to No. 10
University of San Diego.
The Bruins (4-4-2) fell behind right from the start, as Torero
midfielder Eric Wunderle scored from 15 yards out less than four
minutes into the game. Despite being outshot 27-13 in the game, USD
(7-1) made the most of its opportunities with goals from defender
Alex Romagnolo in the 37th minute and midfielder Sy Reeves in the
55th minute.
On top of the 27 shots that UCLA’s aggressive style
created, the Bruins also forced eight corner kicks. Forward Tim
Pierce led the UCLA attack with seven shots, but the team’s
leading scorer with four goals this season was unable to find the
back of the net.
The loss to the Toreros, which yielded 61 total fouls, marked
the third straight game in which the Bruins were shut out.
That streak would soon end though, as UCLA jumped out to a 2-0
lead over SDSU (3-4-1).
Midfielder Aaron Lopez scored his second goal of the season in
the sixth minute, ending a drought which lasted nearly 325 minutes,
dating back to the 4-1 win over Cal State Fullerton on Sept.
23.
Forward Matt Taylor, who had three shots against USD, added to
the lead with a goal in the 15th minute.
The team resumes competition on Friday when they host Cal to
open the Pac-10 season.