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Defender Greg Folk fights for the ball against Cal State Northridge on Saturday night. The Bruins

With the game knotted at one and time ticking down in the second overtime period, two exhausted teams each got opportunities to steal the season opener with great chances on goal. But neither could capitalize, ending the game in a 1-1 tie.

No. 5 UCLA got the first shot on a blast from freshman Jason Leopoldo. Leopoldo hit a one-time volley after No. 23 Cal State Northridge goalkeeper Kevin Guppy punched out a cross from sophomore Sal Zizzo.

“(I) got caught up in the lights, to tell you the truth,” Leopoldo said. “(My) instinct was to hit it. I got ahold of it pretty well and it was just unlucky.”

The play was very telling of the young Bruin side, which gave itself chances but proved a bit too young up front.

“Last year we had some issues scoring,” coach Jorge Salcedo. “We’re young up front, two sophomores up top. It’s going to take some time.

“I’d be more concerned if we weren’t creating opportunities. But we’re creating opportunities and I think, over time, you’ll see that we’re scoring.”

The Matadors immediately countered Leopoldo’s strike and pushed the ball back to get their own opportunity.

But senior goalkeeper Eric Reed made his first save of the season count, making a diving stop to preserve the tie.

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“Ten seconds left in the game, they get a chance like that and (our) keeper comes up big,” Leopoldo said. “That’s what the keeper is for. That’s why he’s a top-class keeper.”

The Bruins came out looking flat-footed to start the match, allowing their first goal at home during the regular season since November 2004.

“In the beginning we were getting used to the field,” Leopoldo said. “(It’s a) different surface considering what we’ve been practicing on, and how fast the field was. They came out early, got a chance, and put it away.”

In the ninth minute, CSUN forward Sunghyun Kim took a stray header and crossed the ball to forward Ryan Rossi, who blasted a strong finish from the top of the box past a sprawling Reed.

“We were a little bit shell-shocked after they scored,” Salcedo said. “It was a goal that we could have easily negated by clearing the ball.”

The Bruins didn’t stay shocked for too long. In the 26th minute junior Greg Folk tied up the game at one with his first goal, and point, as a Bruin.

“(Sal Zizzo) managed to cut it back to me at the top of the box, and there was a defender in front of (me) so I touched it around him. I looked up and there was space, so I took the shot and it ended up in the side of the net, Folk said.

The two teams traded opportunities throughout regulation, with the Bruins’ best opportunity coming off a free kick in the 74th minute. Junior defender Mike Zaher hit a ball that bounced off the crossbar onto the top of the net.

As the game wore on into overtime, both sides got noticeably tired as they went into a marathon match to start the year off with a tie.

“In the beginning of the season you can’t really push guys to be ready to play 90 minutes because you don’t have enough time in the 16 days of preseason,” Salcedo said. “I thought we were about 70 minutes fit and obviously we had to extend ourselves to play over 110 minutes.”

MYERS’ RETURN: Freshman Chance Myers, who had been sidelined with injuries, made an appearance against CSUN on Saturday. Myers came in for a total of 17 minutes and took one shot on goal.

“He only got to play a little bit,” Salcedo said.

“His fitness level is still far away from where it needs to be. It’s going to take some time for him to gain fitness, and once he does it will only add more depth.”

PERK TO PLAY FOR U.S.: Freshman goalkeeper Brian Perk was named to the U-20 U.S. team to play in the Busan International Tournament in South Korea. Perk is the only collegiate player to make the 18-man roster.

“Although this is a crucial time of the year for us, I felt like it was an opportunity that Brian Perk had to take,” Salcedo told UCLABruins.com.

“His preseason training here will hopefully prepare him for the competition he’ll encounter in Korea, and his experience over there will benefit our group here in the long run.”

The move will not likely have an impact on the field for the Bruins, who have senior standout Eric Reed in goal.