UCLA
10-6-0, 5-3-0
California
5-9-2, 1-7-0
Late Goal Propels UCLA Past Cal, 1-0
November 01, 2018 | Men's Soccer
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA men's soccer team completed a season sweep of California on Thursday night, receiving a late goal from sophomore forward Santiago Herrera to land a 1-0 victory at Wallis Annenberg Stadium.
UCLA (10-6, 5-3 Pac-12) had plenty of chances to score earlier in the game, but couldn't find the finishing touch necessary to hit the back of the net.
Herrera helped the Bruins escape with the full three points with an 87th minute tally. The play started when senior midfielder Anderson Asiedu retrieved a ball near the left corner flag in Cal (5-9-2, 1-7-0) territory.
Surveying his options, Asiedu decided to play a pass back to sophomore midfielder Eric Iloski, who was wide open on the left wing. With time, Iloski took a touch then swung in a cross into the box. Standing near the penalty spot, Herrera leapt, got his head on the ball, and re-directed it over Cal keeper Noah Texter for the lone tally of the contest.
The Bruins held on for the remaining three minutes and 21 seconds to secure the team's sixth shutout of the year.
"It was huge to come back with a win after a disappointing trip to the Northwest," said UCLA head coach Jorge Salcedo. "We had two tough results – in both games we had big moments that didn't go our way – and then we come home to play a team that, even though their conference record isn't great, is still a really good soccer team with a lot of good players. When you go through what we went through, the best thing to do is to get a win and that's what we did."
Even before Herrera's game-winner, UCLA enjoyed the advantage in the run of play.
The Bruins outshot the Bears 6-4 in the first half, but tripled up the visitors in shots on frame (3-1). UCLA had the singular best chance to score in the opening 45, as Matt Hundley earned the Bruins a PK after his free kick was stopped by a Cal defender's elbow. Hundley stepped up to take the PK, but Texter was able to get his fingertips on the shot and push it to the crossbar.
Junior forward Mohammed Kamara also had a solid look at net in the 32nd minute, dancing past three defenders but forcing himself into a tight angle shot that was steered away by Texter.
A virtual non-factor in the first half, Shinya Kadono (who has 63% of the Bears' goals this year) created a pair of chances in the second half to make the Bruins nervous. First in the 63rd, he got some room above the box with the ball at his feet, but his left-foot curler didn't have enough bend in it and sailed past the far post. Four minutes later, he made a run through the box on a corner kick and headed the ball hard off the crossbar from inside the six-yard box.
Despite those two dangerous chances, UCLA still controlled possession in the latter 45 and outshot the opposition 12-8, giving the Bruins an edge of 18-12 for the game.
Freshman keeper Justin Garces made a trio of saves to earn his fourth shutout of his debut campaign.
Kamara led the Bruins with five shots total. Hundley was just behind him with four, including a team-high three shots on goal.
Texter was busy for the Bears, making seven saves on the night.
UCLA faces a tough test on Sunday, as three-time defending NCAA champion Stanford will be in town for a 4:00 p.m. showdown on the Pac-12 Networks.
Team Stats
Herrera, Santiago (2)
Assisted By: Iloski, Eric , Asiedu, Anderson
header in box
86:39
