Post-Game Quotes
November 26, 2003 | Men's Soccer
Nov. 26, 2003
NCAA Men's Soccer * Second Round * Tulsa at UCLA * November 26, 2003
Post-Game Quotes
Tulsa head coach Tom McIntosh
"They stepped up their pressure in the second half, and we didn't cope well. The got out quickly and things started the wrong way. In the first half, we were moving with the ball very well, and were able to keep the ball for long stretches. We lost that in the first 15-20 minutes of the second half, then by the 20 minute mark we were able to get our rhythm back and were able to possess the ball a lot more in the last 20 minutes, when it was an end-to-end game."
"There were two good teams out there today. We didn't panic when we got down 2-1. We've come back five or six times this year, including last week. We have a lot of confidence in our ability to score. This team can really play. Last year, we beat Stanford when they were number one."
Tulsa forward Ryan Pore
"We came out complacent in the second half, but this is a team that never gives up. Every game, we go in knowing we can win. We respect UCLA and what they can do, but we expected to win today. Once we get the first goal in a game, we gain so much confidence. In the first half we played our game, in the second half we got complacent."
UCLA head coach Tom Fitzgerald
"When the game ended, I told them (Tulsa's coaches) it was a shame we had to meet them so early in the tournament. Their team comes right at you and battles, but we knew that going in. I'm very proud of the character my guys showed tonight. When Cliff [McKinley] hit the post in the first half, I was hoping it wouldn't be one of those nights. In the second half, we took charge, and I was very proud of my team."
"We talked at halftime that we had 45 minutes to go and were down 1-0. We didn't have to get it all back at once, just one at a time. We handled the pressure so well. We stepped up and put more pressure on them and they made mistakes."
"We have been sitting for 10 days waiting to play this game. We were hot ending the regular season, but sometimes the anticipation of waiting for so long to play disrupts your rhythm. This was a good game for us tonight and it will hopefully set us up for the games we're going to get as the tournament goes on."
UCLA senior defender Dru Hoshimiya
"It was a very intense game tonight, a battle from the beginning. They scored on a free kick and that put us on our heels. We changed our lineup in the second half and it was much more natural for us and that led to our goals. Tulsa is a good team, their forwards are very quick and they were coming at us."
On his goal in the second half
"It's been a long time since I have played up for corners, but that's what I was doing tonight. I had told Adolfo [Gregorio] earlier in the game to look for me on the near post, and the play came together."
UCLA senior midfielder Adolfo Gregorio
"We changed our lineup to start the game to adjust to their top forwards. In the second half we switched back to how we usually play. At the half, we knew we still had 45 minutes left, and we got it done. We know that every postseason game is a battle. It's a whole different season now."