Thursday, September 5
Los Angeles, CA
7 p.m. PT
UCLA
2-1-1, 0-0-0
1
vs
3
Cal State Fullerton
2-3-0, 0-0-0
1
2
F
Cal St. Fullerton
2
1
3
UCLA
0
1
1
No. 6 UCLA Falls to Cal State Fullerton, 3-1
September 05, 2024 | Men's Soccer
LOS ANGELES - The No. 6 UCLA men's soccer program dropped their first game of the season on Thursday night, falling to Cal State Fullerton, 3-1 at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. Junior Nikolai Rojel scored his first goal as a Bruin in the loss.
UCLA tallied 18 shots on the night compared to Fullerton's five, but it was the Titans who were more clinical in front of goal on the night. Jose Contell and Rojel each had three shots on frame for the Bruins (2-1-1), while Fernando Valenzuela tallied both a goal and an assist in the win for CSUF (2-3-0).
Fullerton opened the scoring in the 12th minute and scored twice in quick succession. The Titans tallied their first of the night when Jorge Quintero got on the end of a Roberto Ordonez cross right in front of Wyatt Nelson in goal for UCLA, and hammered it home, putting CSUF up 1-0. Just over 30 seconds later Fullerton added another. This time, Valenzuela picked off a pass in midfield and then chipped the ball over Nelson and into the net, and Fullerton led 2-0.
Neither team would have any clear-cut opportunities for the remainder of the half, and the Titans took a 2-0 lead into the halftime break.
The Bruins would respond quickly in the second half. Rojel, who was brought on at halftime, sparked UCLA to life in the 50th minute. The transfer from Wofford College latched onto a ball from freshman Tamir Ratoviz and then tucked the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal to pull the Bruins within one, 2-1.
Cal State Fullerton answered in the 53rd minute to re-establish their two-goal cushion. After the Titans were awarded a penalty, Suliman Bah scored it, putting CSUF up 3-1 with just over a half hour to play.
Neither squad could convert any chances over the final half hour of the game, and the Titans earned the 3-1 win.
Up Next: No. 6 UCLA hosts No. 3 Denver on Monday, September 9 at 7 p.m. The match will be streamed live on Big Ten Plus.
Game Notes:
UCLA tallied 18 shots on the night compared to Fullerton's five, but it was the Titans who were more clinical in front of goal on the night. Jose Contell and Rojel each had three shots on frame for the Bruins (2-1-1), while Fernando Valenzuela tallied both a goal and an assist in the win for CSUF (2-3-0).
Fullerton opened the scoring in the 12th minute and scored twice in quick succession. The Titans tallied their first of the night when Jorge Quintero got on the end of a Roberto Ordonez cross right in front of Wyatt Nelson in goal for UCLA, and hammered it home, putting CSUF up 1-0. Just over 30 seconds later Fullerton added another. This time, Valenzuela picked off a pass in midfield and then chipped the ball over Nelson and into the net, and Fullerton led 2-0.
Neither team would have any clear-cut opportunities for the remainder of the half, and the Titans took a 2-0 lead into the halftime break.
The Bruins would respond quickly in the second half. Rojel, who was brought on at halftime, sparked UCLA to life in the 50th minute. The transfer from Wofford College latched onto a ball from freshman Tamir Ratoviz and then tucked the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal to pull the Bruins within one, 2-1.
Cal State Fullerton answered in the 53rd minute to re-establish their two-goal cushion. After the Titans were awarded a penalty, Suliman Bah scored it, putting CSUF up 3-1 with just over a half hour to play.
Neither squad could convert any chances over the final half hour of the game, and the Titans earned the 3-1 win.
Up Next: No. 6 UCLA hosts No. 3 Denver on Monday, September 9 at 7 p.m. The match will be streamed live on Big Ten Plus.
Game Notes:
- Nikolai Rojel tallied his first goal as a Bruin, he now has 21 career collegiate goals.
- Allan Legaspi, Jacob Diaz and Sam Scott all made their collegiate debuts
- Ratoviz tallied his fourth point in two games, he also had a goal and an assist in UCLA's 2-0 win over No. 8 Portland.
Team Stats
CSUF
UCLA
Goals
3
1
Shots
5
18
Shots on Goal
4
4
Saves
3
1
Corners
2
5
Fouls
18
10
Scoring Plays
Jorge Quintero (1)
Assisted By: Roberto Ordonez , Fernando Valenzuela
GOAL by CSUF Quintero, Jorge Assist by Ordonez, Roberto and Valenzuela, Fernando.
11:22
Fernando Valenzuela (1)
GOAL by CSUF Valenzuela, Fernando.
11:50
Nikolai Rojel (1)
Assisted By: Tamir Ratoviz
GOAL by UCLA Rojel, Nikolai Assist by Ratoviz, Tamir.
49:36
Sulaiman Bah (1)
CSUF Sulaiman Bah PENALTY KICK GOAL.
53:42
Game Leaders
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's SoccerMF
/ Men's SoccerF
/ Men's Soccer
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