UCLA
Cal Fullerton
No. 2 Men's Soccer Team Defeats No. 13 Cal State Fullerton To Win MPSF Pacific Division Title
November 07, 1999 | Men's Soccer
Nov. 7, 1999
Postgame Audio
- UCLA head coach Todd Saldana
- UCLA midfielder Sasha Victorine
Westwood, Calif. - Senior midfielder Sasha Victorine (Corona, CA/Rio Americano HS) scored the game-winning goal in the 101st minute to give UCLA a 2-1 victory over Cal State Fullerton and the MPSF Pacific Division title, UCLA's seventh consecutive.
The Bruins and Titans played a scoreless but physical game over the first 67 minutes until UCLA freshman defender Scot Thompson (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA/Trabuco Hills HS) headed in a Martin Bruno corner kick at 67:40. But a minute and a half later, Fullerton evened up the game when midfielder Ricky Melendez took a Duncan Oughton pass and knocked it past Bruin keeper Nick Rimando from 10 yards out, snapping Rimando's four game shutout streak.
The two teams played out the half without a score until the 11th minute of overtime, when a Bruno pass went off goalkeeper Scott Alexander's fingertips in the box. An open Victorine pounced on the loose ball and scored from 10 yards out for his 10th goal of the season. Bruno was credited with the assist, his second of the game.
"I saw the ball bounce, and it was kind of behind me, and I was open," Victorine explained. "I was making sure I kept it on frame and make the goalie make the save and maybe he'd give up a rebound. But I put it on frame, and it ended up going in."
UCLA goalkeeper Nick Rimando made two saves in the contest. Alexander made eight.
With the victory, the Bruins snap a three-game losing streak against Cal State Fullerton and win their 14th consecutive game.
"I'm pleased, obviously, because we came out on the winning end," said UCLA head coach Todd Salda?a. "But I think the reason we came out on the winning end is because of the confidence and the belief this team has in itself this season. In seasons past, I think there were some doubts about this match, but I think (this year) they've had an incredibly strong winning season. Our defense has been solid, and they felt they could hold the score down and give us enough time to score some goals. I think it's a credit to the confidence the team has this year. There weren't any doubts."
UCLA will next face MPSF Mountain Division winner Washington (12-4-2) in the MSPF Championship game on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 1:00 pm in Seattle, WA. The winner of that game will play the winner of the Mid-Continent Conference on Sunday, Nov. 14 in an NCAA play-in game for a berth in the NCAA Championships.
Game Summary - Cal State Fullerton at UCLA 1st 2nd OT F Cal State Fullerton 0 1 0 1 UCLA 0 1 1 2Shots - CSUF 7, UCLA 14 Corner Kicks - CSUF 5, UCLA 9 Saves - CSUF 8, UCLA 2 Fouls - CSUF 14, UCLA 24 Offsides - CSUF 3, UCLA 7 Cautions - Adam Reeves (CSUF), 32:32, Scott Alexander (CSUF), 38:00, David Dischner (CSUF), 73:20 Attendance - 2962
Scoring Summary Team Goal by Assist Time UCLA Scot Thompson Martin Bruno 67:40 CSUF Ricky Melendez Duncan Oughton 69:15 UCLA Sasha Victorine Martin Bruno 100:43
