Clutch-time performance can make or break a season.
And in their first two games of the season, the Bruins have shown they’re capable of it.
UCLA men’s soccer (1-0-1) tied 1-1 with Cal State Bakersfield (1-0-1) after two second-half goals found the back of the net Monday in the team’s home opener at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. The team scored its second 80th-minute goal in as many games to secure the tie.
Looking strictly at stats, the Bruins dominated. In the first half alone, the blue-and-gold recorded 10 shots to the Roadrunners’ one. The game finished with the former having taken 19, while the latter tallied just three.
The final score, though, said otherwise.
“It’s one of those nights where you could have scored a couple goals in the first five minutes and didn’t,” coach Ryan Jorden said. “We’ve got to be sharper. Our intensity was great and our work rate was incredible, but we got to be sharper in the final moment.”
UCLA Athletics did not provide media availability with the team’s athletes.
An aggressive front line from Cal State Bakersfield continuously created opportunities, even if they were never fully converted. A key piece in these offensive chances – and the only shot taker for the Roadrunners in the game – was forward Oshea Foster, who competed for UCLA from 2023-24.
As for the Bruins’ offense, the squad was looking to take advantage of fifth-year defender Victor Ciaurriz’s 6-foot-3 frame. Ciaurriz had six shot attempts throughout the match, getting his head on the end of corners and crosses sent into the box.
Fifth-year forward Finot Pie was also impactful on the frontline for UCLA. A full-speed sprint toward the goal led to a collision with goalkeeper Zenden Hart and resulted in an unsuccessful goal kick.
The second half looked the same, as the back-and-forth battle continued.
But Foster was at the edge of a goal, consistently attacking against his former squad.
And on his – and the Roadrunners’ – second shot of the game, he was able to convert. Sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Tiltack met Foster outside the 18-yard box, but a delayed tackle allowed Foster to get the ball around the keeper and find the back of the net in the 72nd minute.
The Bruins’ biggest struggle was their efficiency. Despite tallying a total of 19 shots, only six were on frame – worse than the 14 shots with seven on goal the team recorded in its 2-1 victory over Virginia.
But UCLA showcased its ability to fight back with little time left on the clock once more.
“We got a group of competitors, and they’ve got the ability to keep working and fighting and competing to try to get to where we want to get to,” Jorden said. “Proud again of their ability this time in a completely different type of game, but to get a necessary goal. It says something about the character quality of the group.”
Last game, the Bruins lost their advantage in the second half before sophomore defender Logan Hall was able to find the back of the goal to retake the lead in the 80th minute.
And the 80th minute proved to be magic for UCLA once more.
Just minutes after taking the pitch, sophomore forward Francis Bonsu flipped the momentum of the game. A corner kick from the Bruins allowed Bonsu to hit a half-volley off a bounce and find the back of the net, equalizing the score.
A quick VAR review confirmed the goal, making the Bruins even with the Roadrunners after their first eight minutes of trailing this season.
But the late-game magic had run its course, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw that allowed Jorden’s squad to avoid an early-season loss.
“We keep identifying things that we got to continue to grow and get better at, and that’s just part of how fast our season starts, and so you can’t layer on everything in 10 days,” Jorden said. “For us, it’s continuing to refine and cover topics so that you get the same team on the same page from a continuity point.”
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