Tension and exhilaration aptly describe the strenuous push toward postseason play.
Facing teams with similar aspirations only adds to the gauntlet.
A weekend stay on the East Coast will be capped off with a trip to College Park, Maryland, as No. 19 UCLA men’s soccer (6-3-4, 3-2-2 Big Ten) face the Big Ten’s second-place team – No. 6 Maryland (8-1-4, 5-0-1) – on Monday.
Resilience has proven to be a factor embedded within both of these playoff-contending squads, especially when it comes to offensive resurgences in the waning moments of play.
Both Michigan and Penn State exposed UCLA’s defensive vulnerabilities – conceding last-minute goals and yielding command of the game. Against the Nittany Lions, the Bruins were outshot 9-5 in the second half, which turned a 2-0 first-half lead into a 2-2 draw.
However, flickers of hope glimmered against then-No. 2 Ohio State. After relinquishing a goal to the Buckeyes early in the second half, the Bruins found the back of the net twice in 81 seconds and safeguarded their win, despite being outshot 13-7 in the second half and withstanding seven shots in the final 20 minutes.
Sophomore goalkeeper Wyatt Nelson was awarded Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week for his performance, and redshirt senior forward Jose Contell was named Offensive Player of the Week for his game-winning punch-in.
“We know we got a good goalkeeping crew. He’s in a good place right now,” said coach Ryan Jorden. “Obviously, (Nelson) made some important saves for us tonight, got a clean sheet on the road. And look, any time a goalkeeper pitches a clean sheet, a lot of times it means that the guys in front of them made some things predictable for him, and so I think the defending group as a whole did a really good job.”
On the other sideline, the Terrapins have been proven to thrive amid pressure. Against Washington, Maryland found itself down one goal in two different instances yet was able to strike back within minutes both times. Last Tuesday, Maryland dominated George Mason defensively, holding a team that averages 13.8 shots per game to just eight en route to a 2-0 victory.
Notably, against George Mason, Maryland was without star forward Colin Griffith, who has contributed to scoring across his last four matches. Regardless of Griffith’s health, Bruin defenders will be pit against the aggression and explosion of forward Max Rodgers and midfielder Albi Ndrenika while also controlling forward Leon Koehl.
Rodgers leads the Terrapins with seven assists, while Koehl leads in points with 14. Additionally, forward Sadam Masereka seems to have hit a stride with four points in his last three games, including a 29th-minute near-post goal against George Mason.
Defensive strength across both halves has been a groove the Bruins have struggled to recaptivate. Despite notching five clean sheets in their first six games, the Bruins have allowed an average of 17 shots per game with six shots on goal in their last two matches.
Maryland’s wing-based approach to attacking, maintaining forward runs in the deep midfield and creating scoring opportunities through passes in the box will have to be snuffed out, particularly in late-game scenarios by the Bruin defense.
On the offensive side of the ball, UCLA will likely look toward graduate student midfielder Edrey Caceres and sophomore defender Philip Naef to create chances in Jorden’s system.
Caceres leads the team with four goals, while Naef leads in the assist category with five, both indicating that midfield strength and possession has been invaluable for creating scoring opportunities.
“There was a lot of space on the right side, and I like utilizing the space that the defenders give me and run at people and looking up,” Naef said. “My teammates do a very good job of then showing up in the box and finishing those crosses that I’m putting in.”
Maryland will come into its first-ever conference game against UCLA riding on a three-game winning streak and 11-game unbeaten streak. The Bruins – who currently sit fifth in Big Ten standings – will play their last away game and third-to-last game of their 2024 campaign against the Terrapins.
A win for Maryland would launch it back atop the Big Ten standings over a surging Indiana. A win for UCLA would put it over Michigan State at fourth place in the Big Ten and further distance the Bruins from the threat of missing the competition altogether.
“Everyone on the team was bought in,” said senior forward Andre Ochoa. “We knew those goals were going to eventually come. … We just weren’t putting them (crosses) away, but thankfully now they’re coming in at the right moments, and as long as we just continue doing what we’re doing and what we’re told, the sky’s the limit.”
The Bruins will fight for their postseason seeding in Maryland at 4 p.m. Monday.
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