UCLA
Washington
No. 20 UCLA Shuts Out No. 14 Washington, 1-0
October 01, 2010 | Men's Soccer
Oct. 1, 2010
Los Angeles, Calif. - The 20th-ranked UCLA men's soccer team used an early goal by Joe Sofia to record a 1-0 win over 14th-ranked Washington in the Pac-10 opener for both teams. Sofia scored at 8:59 on a header off a Kelyn Rowe corner kick. The goal was his first of the season.
UCLA's win snapped Washington's six-game unbeaten streak and improved the Bruins' season record to 6-2-1. With the loss, Washington drops to 6-2-1.
The Bruins grabbed an early lead with Sofia's goal in the ninth minute, giving UCLA its earliest score in any game this season. The Bruins nearly went up 2-0 in the 26th minute when Matt Wiet launched a shot from deep in the box. The shot was saved by Washington goalkeeper Stephen Fung, and he bobbled the ball but was able to control it before it went into the goal.
In the 57th minute, Washington was issued a free kick outside the box after a UCLA yellow card. The ball was kicked around in the box and nearly put in before being cleared out by a Bruin defender. The Huskies also had another good opportunity in the 66th minute after Matt Van Houten got ahead of the UCLA defense. Van Houten fired a shot, but Bruin goalkeeper Brian Rowe made a big save to keep the Bruins ahead, 1-0. Rowe also made another save in the 80th minute on a shot by Daniel Gray, who, two minutes later, hit a free kick that skimmed just over the crossbar. Rowe saved a shot by Dylan Tucker-Gangnes in the 87th minute, and the Huskies' Jamie Finch had a last-second shot go wide right as time expired.
Rowe and Fung each finished the game with six saves.
The Bruins continue weekend conference play on Sunday, Oct. 3 against Oregon State at 2:30 pm at Drake Stadium. Prior to the game is UCLA's annual alumni game, which will take place at the North Athletic Field at 9:30 am.
