It was a familiar face that hadn’t been seen in a while that led the UCLA men’s soccer team to victory over Delaware in a dramatic fashion.
Making his return with extended minutes for the first time since Oct. 9 when he sustained an injury, junior midfield/forward Ryan Hollingshead played 25 minutes and had an integral role in the Bruins’ 1-0 win.
Also as unusual as seeing Hollingshead back on the field was not seeing sophomore midfielder Kelyn Rowe in the starting lineup. Rowe was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year last week and found himself on the sidelines until the 22nd minute.
“We have a great group this year and a lot of depth in our roster,” coach Jorge Salcedo said. “Kelyn has had a good year, obviously. He was MVP of the Pac-12, but other guys have done a good job as well and I was happy with how Kelyn came on today and impacted the game.”
UCLA started the game with their typical style of play ““ possession dominance.
To try and thwart their opposition, Delaware elected to focus on counterattacks in hopes of catching UCLA off guard in the back, quickly sending numbers forward after winning the ball.
“They were obviously playing for counterattacks and their coach did a good job to set them up tactically, where when the ball turned over their number 10 was dangerous and quick but we were always in control of the game,” Salcedo said.
The Fightin’ Blue Hens’ number 10, senior midfielder Evans Frimpong, created problems in the middle of the pitch for the Bruins with his cleverness and speed, but the Bruins clamped down defensively allowing very few chances, none serious, and admitting only three shots in the first half.
UCLA, on the other hand, had its fair share of opportunities to put itself in front before the break, tallying six shots and forcing five saves out of Delaware goalkeeper Kris Devaux.
One chance included quick exchanges from Rowe to sophomore forward Reed Williams to junior forward Chandler Hoffman, who put the ball in the back of the net but was called back for offsides with roughly six minutes to play in the first half.
“Our finishing could be better ““ and has to be better ““ for us to continue on in the tournament,” Salcedo said.
Both teams headed into halftime scoreless, but the Bruins dominated possession and looked to keep their momentum going forward.
And to do so, Hollingshead started as forward, doing his best to create opportunities for himself and his teammates to score.
The chances came and went without the desired result of a goal. After a brief breather on the sideline, Hollingshead was put back in the game as a right midfielder in the 71st minute, causing an uproar of cheers from the UCLA contingent of fans.
“I love playing on the fan-side because as an outside mid, you’re right there on the line with them,” Hollingshead said. “I think they’re just excited for me to be back out there finally and they knew I really wanted to be out there during the playoffs.”
In the 84th minute, Hollingshead imposed himself on the game when Williams played a through ball to Hollingshead to the right side of the box. Hollingshead then placed a low hard cross that took a deflection off a Delaware defender before finding Hoffman, who finished the play with a goal.
The goal proved to be the only one of the game as the Bruins prevailed 1-0 on the slick surface of Drake Stadium due to the persistent rain during the day.
“It was a playoff game in inclement weather and the field was obviously heavier than normal,” Salcedo said. “We could’ve scored a couple times in the first half and (the Blue Hens) were really resilient and as the game goes on they were gaining confidence.”
“We were really unlucky not to score before we did, but a win in the playoffs gets us onto the next round, and that’s what’s most important,” Hoffman added.