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Senior Kiel McClung breaks away from a Northridge player during the game on Aug. 26. UCLA plays W

The current situation for the UCLA men’s soccer team appears to be difficult on paper, but in reality, the No. 17 Bruins have a great chance to dig themselves out of a hole.

When they take the field today against No 4. Washington, the nation’s only team with no losses or ties, the young squad will look to turn around a season that has been far from perfect.

For the Bruins (4-3-2, 0-1-1 Pac-10), there is no better place to begin such a task than at home on Frank W. Marshall Field at Drake Stadium.

Coming off a season in which the Bruins gave up no goals at home until the second round of the NCAA Championships, this year’s team looks to continue the tradition of home-field advantage.

“Playing at home is something we’ve been comfortable with every year here within our program,” coach Jorge Salcedo said.

Comfort is just the feeling UCLA will need heading into the matchup against the Huskies (8-0-0, 1-0-0 Pac-10), who, though undefeated, have not faced the quality and level of opponents the Bruins have been pitted against through the majority of the season.

However, the Washington attack is of primary concern for a UCLA team coming off two disappointing results in Pac-10 play.

“They’ve got a dynamic duo up top and there are guys we’re going to have to deal with, but I think with our training and our preparation, we’ll be ready for them,” Salcedo said of the Huskies’ Kevin Forrest and Ely Allen.

Forrest and Allen have combined to score sixteen goals so far this season.

Though they are playing without several key returners from last year’s team, the Bruins understand that they are in a virtual must-win situation if they hope to capture their fifth consecutive conference title.

Currently the Bruins are leading only Oregon State in conference play and trail the likes of Stanford, Washington, Cal and San Diego State.

“Two wins would help us a lot in conference play and bounce back into the lead,” sophomore midfielder/forward Jason Leopoldo said. “It’ll help us out with confidence, with rankings, and just put us at the top of the Pac-10.”

The Bruins understand that each conference game became much more crucial after the weekend in the Bay Area when the Cardinal and Bears took advantage of the squad without Maxwell Griffin, a sophomore forward, and the team’s leading scorer.

“It was hard to make adjustments in just a matter of days, but now we’ve had a week to try new things with some of the younger guys,” Salcedo said.

“We now know that every game in the Pac-10 is very important to us,” he said. “And if we win on Friday night, we’re right back in the hunt for the conference championship.”

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