Despite not having earned an away win, the Bruins cling to a .500 conference record.
UCLA men’s soccer (3-6-4, 3-3-2 Big Ten) tied with Michigan State (5-6-2, 2-4-2) 0-0 at DeMartin Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan, on Monday night. The draw is the Bruins’ fourth of the season.
Michigan State goalkeeper Zac Kelly earned his fifth shutout of the season en route to enforcing the stalemate, largely made possible by UCLA’s zero shots on frame. The Bruins have struggled to convert breakaway attacks into serious threats for goalkeepers all season, and after posting only two shots on goal in Friday’s loss to No. 16 Michigan, the team doesn’t appear to be reversing that trend.
Kelly effectively cut off shooting angles for sophomore defender Tre Wright and freshman forward Francis Bonsu, who led UCLA’s offensive effort with two shots a piece, the latter of which came in the last 10 minutes of the game.
“Kelly’s air game was spot on,” said Michigan State coach Damon Rensing to Michigan State Athletics. “I thought he came off of his back line very well which is probably why he didn’t have any saves to make for the game.”
Despite being unable to generate an attempt on frame while controlling possession, the Bruins still amassed eight shots, just two fewer than the Spartans’ 10. Freshman midfielder Ander Marticorena recorded his fourth shot in as many games, making him the only Bruin to record an attempt during every match in that span.
Michigan State managed to hold UCLA goal leader redshirt sophomore forward Sergi Solans Ormo to just one shot attempt off frame, snapping his nine-game trend of generating at least one shot on goal.
Despite the offensive struggles for UCLA, the goalkeeping from graduate student Kevin Box held Michigan State at bay. Box had four saves against the Spartans during his fourth start as a Bruin, just one save shy of his season high.
Box opened the game with a save in the 17th minute, pushing midfielder Jack Guggemos’ shot over the crossbar in an air-borne effort that sent him spinning to the ground. Moreover, Box’s save in the dying seconds of the game allowed the Bruins to walk away with a tie rather than a loss.
With its draw, UCLA sits tied for fourth in the Big Ten standings above Rutgers and Indiana. Despite the team’s losing record and only three wins to show for this season, UCLA still sits in the top half of the conference standings.
And with only three games left in the regular season, two of which are in-conference, the Bruins have a chance of climbing in the conference rankings into the top three.
UCLA will head back to Westwood for its final home game of the 2025 season to face neck-in-neck Big Ten adversary Rutgers Friday.
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