The Bruins recorded their seventh shutout win of the season en route to a potential playoff bid.
UCLA men’s soccer (9-5-1, 3-3-1 Pac-12) secured a 1-0 road victory over Rutgers (8-4-5, 4-2-2 Big Ten) on Saturday morning. The seventh shutout win of the season marks the most shutout wins the Bruins have recorded since 2011, a season in which they reached the semifinals of the NCAA tournament.
Junior defender Tommy Silva said shutout results have been a priority for the team this year.
“Keeping shutouts has been a big focus of ours this season,” Silva said. “Even though we’ve been changing some personnel in the back line, we still have an identity as a team, and we’re working well together to keep clean sheets.”
Coach Ryan Jorden echoed a similar sentiment, adding that the shutouts are especially important this season, as UCLA has been unable to convert on its chances on the offensive end.
“As a group, I think they have taken some pride in it, and it’s both intelligence and a lot of really hard work,” Jorden said. “We haven’t scored tons of goals this year, but I think when you haven’t scored goals, in order to get results, you have to be able to not concede them either.”
The blue and gold now has three regular-season opponents remaining on its slate: No. 1 Washington this Thursday, Oregon State on Sunday and San Diego State on Nov. 11. The Bruins already faced these three teams earlier this season but were only able to beat San Diego State.
Junior defender Grayson Doody said the Bruins see these games as opportunities to avenge past losses and position themselves for favorable postseason draws.
“It’s really important going into this away weekend against top teams,” Doody said. “We have better chances to play at UCLA again depending on the results of this weekend. Last time, they took points from us, so now it is our chance to take points from them.”
The results of these next three games will not only help the Bruins to possibly secure a spot in the playoffs but will also determine how they are seeded. UCLA is currently ranked 28th in RPI, but a win over Washington could help boost the Bruins in the rankings and into a first-round match with a home-field advantage.
Jorden said nonetheless, the team is still trying to take the season one game at a time and focus on Thursday.
“The guys are always cognizant of RPI because they understand its implications for tournament inclusion and seeding,” Jorden said. “We know that going to play Washington, who’s No. 1 in the RPI right now, is a big opportunity, but it doesn’t change the nature of our preparations. I think it’s important for the team to understand RPI but not dwell on it.”
UCLA will match up against Washington on Thursday in Seattle at 8 p.m.
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