This post was updated Sept. 26 at 12:04 p.m.
Sergi Solans Ormo screamed at the referee after his goal was disallowed after being called offside.
The Bruins were tied 1-1 with the Badgers 13 minutes into the second half, and video review could not reverse the decision because the camera had not moved properly.
Graduate student defender Drew Brown yelled at the redshirt sophomore forward to calm down.
But Solans Ormo did not calm down.
Instead, he broke away 83 seconds later, and – onside this time – he buried it home to put the Bruins up 2-1.
“I love to see him frustrated because it shows how passionate he is, … which is what you want in a striker,” Brown said. “Then for him to be able to calm down and collect his thoughts and his emotions and be able to put one in the back of the net two minutes later is unbelievable for him.”
Propelled by Solans Ormo’s redemption goal, UCLA men’s soccer (2-3-2, 2-0 Big Ten) picked up its second consecutive win – and just second victory of the season – at Wallis Annenberg Stadium over Wisconsin (2-4-0, 0-2) by a score of 3-1 Friday night. The Bruins are now 2-0 in conference play, despite going winless for five straight games to start the season.
UCLA put itself at an early disadvantage, allowing a goal in the fifth minute when Wisconsin forward Cristobal Porter found space in the 18-yard box and ultimately the lower corner of the net.
The Bruins promptly answered three minutes later when graduate student midfielder Konstantinos Georgallides netted the ball just shy of the goalpost eight minutes into his debut start with the team.
It was only the second time all season that UCLA scored in the first half.
“The most important thing was the reaction that we had after conceding the early goal,” said coach Ryan Jorden. “To score again so quickly and put it back on level terms was huge.”
Despite outshooting the Bruins 3-1, the Badgers entered halftime tied up at one apiece.
And despite the advantage, the Bruins did not waver.
A shift in possession to UCLA in the second frame translated to the scoreboard with Solans Ormo’s goal in the 60th minute.
After scoring the go-ahead, the forward sprinted over to the bench, and he and his teammates held up three jerseys – the numbers of freshman defender Ian Charles, sophomore midfielder Tamir Ratoviz and freshman defender Kian Concepcion.
The trio has all dealt with injuries this season, with Charles undergoing surgery the morning of the game.
“This game is about suffering, it’s about competing, and it’s about fighting and winning, and we are doing all this for these three guys that cannot play, Kian and Ian and Tamir,” Solans Ormo said. “When they told me this bad news about Tamir, the first thing that happened in my mind is, ‘We need to do something for them.’”
And the Bruins honored their injured teammates with the highest scoring performance of the season as forward Francis Bonsu scored the third and final goal in the 67th minute.
The freshman found the back of the net on his third attempt to notch his first collegiate goal while outshooting every player on the field.
The score came off another assist from Solans Ormo – who contributed to each goal scored. The Oregon State transfer has recorded a team-leading three goals — all in the last three games — and two assists.
The Bruins’ three goals scored against the Badgers nearly doubled their total on the season, bringing it to seven through as many games.
Additionally, Brown got the win against the school where he spent his undergraduate years. In the pregame captains meeting with the referees, Brown represented UCLA across from two of his former roommates and one of his best friends.
“If he was smart when he walked up, he should have said, ‘Look, I’m here by myself. It takes three of you guys,’” Jorden said. “I said to … the group after, ‘You know who the happiest guy here is?’ I was curious what they were going to say. Drew put his hand up. I said, ‘That guy!’ Because he is going to be the happiest.”
Jorden also had reason to smile after the win, which marked his 50th at the helm of the Bruins.
The seventh-year head coach has led UCLA to four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and now the program’s first 2-0 start to Big Ten play.
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