They’ve had their share of disappointment in this young season, losing two one-goal games to lesser-tier opponents.
Still, when members of the men’s soccer team have been faced with a difficult test against a dangerous opponent, the Bruins have flourished.
The test continues tonight as the Bruins face off against the No. 3 Golden Bears on Frank W. Marshall Field at Drake Stadium.
Cal comes to UCLA with an impressive resume, featuring a perfect 7-0-1 record and the top goal scorer in the Pac-10, Calen Carr, who has netted six goals and 14 points. Cal goalkeeper Eric Kronberg ranks eighth in the nation with a goals against average of 0.39, which should be significant against the Bruins.
UCLA has little reason to be intimidated, however, as they lead the all-time series 30-7-3 and have won the last five meetings, dating back to 2002.
“If you look at the game, they haven’t lost this season, they have a better record, but all of that can be misleading sometimes,”coach Jorge Salcedo said. “We have only had one opponent in common with them so it is very hard to judge where they are in comparison to us.
“We play in a tough conference and have had a very tough schedule thus far, but they are legit as well. Still, to say that we are the underdog, I wouldn’t go that far.”
The Bruins are coming off a 3-0 win against UNLV with a No. 9 ranking and a 4-2-0 record. They have proven they can handle top-ranked teams, having already tied No. 1 ranked Indiana in a preseason match-up and defeating No. 4 Maryland 4-0.
The team will have one off day to recuperate from the battle against Cal before Stanford rolls into town with its 3-4-1 record on Sunday. Marcus Ryan leads the Cardinal with three goals and seven points this season, while goalkeeper Andrew Kartunen will prove to be another test for the Bruin offense with his 0.24 goals against average through four games, the third-best mark in the nation.
Despite the strong goalkeeping of both opponents, the team has vowed that it will not change its approach for either game and refuses to take Stanford lightly.
“Stanford has been one of our toughest rivals through the years,” Salcedo said. “Again, their low ranking can be misleading. Every game with them has been tight. It’s tough to beat them on the road and it’s tough to beat them at home.”
Salcedo is prepared to switch the Bruins’ lineup Sunday if the team is not fully recuperated, citing the team’s depth, which would allow such a move in hopes of securing what he hopes to be the second win of the weekend.
“You have to win the home games in the Pac-10, and then win as many as you can on the road,” Salcedo said. “We have to win both games.”