The UCLA men’s soccer team came into the season ranked No. 2 in the nation, returning almost an entire roster that was one game removed from the Final Four.
Fast-forward three games and the Bruins are winless.
After playing a hard-fought season opener against No. 1-ranked Louisville and losing 2-0, UCLA traveled this weekend to Northern California to play Santa Clara and UC Davis, teams not nearly as highly regarded as the Bruins’ first opponent.
On Friday against Santa Clara, No. 6 UCLA was on its way to victory until it conceded a late goal in the 84th minute. After two 10-minute overtime periods, the game ended in a scoreless draw. UCLA headed to Davis on Sunday in search of a solid performance and its first victory.
The Bruins put the pressure on early, tallying five shots in the first half while holding the Aggies to a single shot in the first 45 minutes.
“I thought it was a very one-sided game in the first half; we had most of the possession, and they only had one shot on goal,” coach Jorge Salcedo said. “We got in behind them three times where if we had done a better job with our final pass or final player, then I think we could have scored a couple goals in the first half.”
Despite the quick start, UCLA couldn’t keep the momentum going into the second half. Instead, the Aggies came out strong, scoring a goal less than two and a half minutes after the whistle was blown to commence the half. UC Davis continued its pressure right after the goal, finding opportunities for shots.
“Them scoring a goal when they did was a shot in the arm for us. The goal they scored early in the second half gave them a lot of momentum, and the crowd got behind them right after that,” Salcedo said.
The game was a physical one, with three Aggies being booked with yellow cards, but UCLA’s junior midfielder Ryan Lee was sent off with a straight red in the 83rd minute, leaving the Bruins down a man and a goal late in the game.
“I do think that Ryan Lee reacted poorly, and you can never subject yourself to the referee making that judgement. It was a foul on them, and Ryan Lee lost his cool and shouldn’t have reacted the way he did, and unfortunately, the referee gave him a red card,” Salcedo said. “You can’t allow the referee the opportunity to give a red card in that situation.”
However, UCLA was able to find the back of the net just three minutes later, as sophomore midfielder Kelyn Rowe played a through ball to junior forward Chandler Hoffman, who finished.
The game was sent into the overtime, where the UCLA comeback fell short. In the 100th minute, UC Davis scored to put the final score at 2-1, putting a second loss on UCLA’s record.
The 0-2-1 Bruins have many questions, but know there are plenty of opportunities ahead of them.
“We didn’t show the country the kind of team we are. When things don’t go your way, you have to dig deep and show your character, and that’s what we’re going to have to do now to get back on track,” captain and senior midfielder Andy Rose said. “We played good-enough soccer to win both games this weekend, but we need to score more goals, and at the end of the day, we didn’t have enough in us.
“We’re a creative team with a talented group of creative guys, and now it’s just trying to put the finishing pieces on. The season isn’t won or lost in the first two weeks, and there’s plenty of soccer to be played.”
Coming home from a three-game road trip to a three-game home stand should help.
“Playing away at this level isn’t easy,” Rose said. “Coming home is huge for us; we get a good week of training under our belts and head into Friday, which is now a huge game for us, and we hope we can pour all our frustrations into that game and come out with a win.”