This post was updated Oct. 23 at 11:56 p.m.
Following a loss and a tie in the Midwest, UCLA men’s soccer (3-6-4, 3-3-2 Big Ten) returns to Wallis Annenberg Stadium for a Friday night battle against Rutgers (8-4-2, 3-3-1). The Scarlet Knights have only lost two of their 14 matches, while the Bruins have only won three across 13 – leaving the Bruins little room for error if they want to remain in postseason contention before the regular season winds down. Reporting from across the pond, sports staff writer Chloe Agas gives the rundown on the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers:
Goals per game: 1.79
Goals allowed per game: 1.21
X-factor: Depth
The stakes
Every team writes its own story.
Coach Ryan Jorden’s crew authored its own breakthrough chapter last fall – one that saw it qualify for an inaugural appearance in the Big Ten tournament. This year, the Bruins are still searching for one that climaxes in a late-season revival with just three matches left to tip the odds in their favor.
Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights are writing a narrative of their own – trailing just one point behind the Bruins in the Big Ten standings, with both teams locked at a .500 conference success rate as the postseason lingers around the corner.
One small mistake from the Bruins can open the door for the Scarlet Knights to spear their way into taking a top-5 Big Ten placement.
Line of battle
The Scarlet Knights’ production has been one without payoff.
Coach Jim McElderry’s crew has fired 34 shots across its last three matches, including 13 against Washington – but only has a singular win to show for it. After a 4-2 victory over Wisconsin, Rutgers dropped a 2-0 decision to Maryland and subsequently incurred its first home defeat of the season by the same score to Washington.
But the Scarlet Knights’ recent results don’t fully reflect their development throughout the season.
Earlier this year, McElderry revitalized the roster with seven new additions – including three freshmen and four transfers. Among the newcomers, midfielder Joschi Schelb is the team’s current top goal scorer with seven to date. Prior to his arrival in Piscataway, New Jersey, Schelb tallied 10 goals and eight assists last season at Saint Francis, where he also recorded the fifth-highest single-season points in program history. Transfer defender Camron Bounsong scored his third collegiate career goal in the 4-2 victory against Wisconsin on Oct. 10.
Alongside the transfers – and in just his second match with Rutgers – midfielder Jude Essuman scored an equalizer and his first collegiate goal in the 82nd-minute against Seton Hall.
Leveling out the newcomers is forward Dan Karsten, who is the second-highest goal scorer this season with five. Karsten earned the sole goal in the season opener against Providence and notched the fourth goal in the Scarlet Knights’ recent victory over Wisconsin.
Together, the Scarlet Knights’ offense accumulates an average of 13 shots per game, outshooting their opponents’ 11.4, and has recorded a total of 25 goals this season.
Defining depth
Depth has become the Scarlet Knights’ defining trait.
McElderry’s roster rebuild has given the Scarlet Knights the capability of competing against top opponents. Evidently, it didn’t allow then-No. 11 Michigan to sink a single goal in Wolverine territory.
Although the Scarlet Knights were outshot 17 to six, they proved that they can defend under pressure. Goalkeeper Ciaran Dalton anchored the backline, tallying five saves against the Wolverine pack. Dalton also notched a season-high of eight saves against Ohio State off 18 total shots en route to the Scarlet Knights’ 2-0 victory.
Dalton has been the foundation of the Scarlet Knights’ defense between the posts, accumulating 50 saves in 14 matches with a .746 save percentage this season and recording 5,220 minutes – posting 209 saves in his four-year collegiate tenure.
With a solidified defense and the newcomers finding their rhythm, the Scarlet Knights have assembled a vanguard ready to contend for a spot in postseason action.
And if the Bruins want to rewrite their ending, they’ll have to crack a Scarlet Knights lineup defined by depth and experience.
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