UCLA
5-3-1, 1-1-1
Oregon State
4-2-1, 1-0-0
Bruins Drop 1-0 Decision to Oregon State
September 29, 2022 | Men's Soccer
LOS ANGELES – No. 14 UCLA was edged, 1-0, by Oregon State on Thursday night in a Pac-12 battle at Wallis Annenberg Stadium.
The loss snapped a three-game unbeaten streak for the Bruins (5-3-1, 1-1-1). OSU, which was playing its Pac-12 opener, improved to 4-2-1 overall.
The Beavers got on the board in the 14th minute on an Ellis Spikner goal, and UCLA was never able to equalize.
The Bruins' best chance at knotting it up came in the final minute of the game, as sophomore Aaron Edwards was able to pounce on a loose ball in the box near the end line. However, his shot was from too sharp an angle, and the drive went wide of the far post.
Sophomore keeper Nate Crockford matched a season-high with four saves, and several of his efforts kept the Bruins in the game. In the 23rd minute, he dove to his left and got his left hand on the ball to deny an eight-yard header from David Perez. Then in the 69th minute, a blocked shot came to Gael Gilbert at the top of the box, but Crockford was able to shuffle over and keep out a second-chance attempt.
"It was a normal Pac-12 game, tightly contested," said UCLA head coach Ryan Jorden. "I think we had a couple moments where we probably were not as calm as I would like, so we have to go back and look at it tomorrow. I thought our competitiveness was very, very good throughout."
OSU's score came courtesy of a cross from Mouhameth Thiam, who played himself into a good position down the right wing after a clever 1-2 with teammate Dante Williams. Thiam then played in a cross, and Spikner tapped it in on a short hop from inside the six.
UCLA returns to action on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. PT, hosting No. 2 Washington in a contest televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
Team Stats
Ellis Spikner (2)
Assisted By: Mouhameth Thiam
GOAL by OSU Spikner, Ellis Assist by Thiam, Mouhameth.
13:27
