The Bruins have been waiting for this all season. A moment to finally break out.
And now it seems the No. 6 UCLA men’s soccer team is doing just that.
Riding a five-game winning streak behind the resurgence of forward Chad Barrett, the Bruins recorded a 1-0 road shutout against UC Irvine this Saturday.
“I’m getting progressively better throughout the year and like I said before, the goals are going to come,” said Barrett, who scored off a cross from freshman Marvell Wynne at the 1:05 mark of the first half.
“(Defenses) have a lot to worry about. We have Mike (Enfield), Kamani (Hill) and myself. If one isn’t scoring the others are going to pick it up. All of us are clicking and we can’t wait because we haven’t even hit our peak yet.”
Barrett has scored in each of the past three games and has picked up one assist as well. Prior to this sudden offensive onslaught, the 2003 Pac-10 co-Freshman of the Year had tallied only one goal all season. However, his teammates felt it was only a matter of time before the goals started coming.
“His performance has been great all season,” Enfield said. “He’s always created chances for himself and other people and of late he’s been scoring his chances now.
“He hasn’t been doing anything different.”
With another Bruin forward becoming a greater scoring threat, opposing defenders no longer can key in on the Pac-10 scoring leader Enfield, which should open up more scoring chances for Enfield and the rest of the Bruin offense.
The non-conference win in front of 1,230 fans at Anteater Stadium was the Bruins’ (10-2-2, 5-1-0 Pac-10) fourth shutout of the year.
Saturday’s performance was even more impressive considering UCLA’s defense had allowed three consecutive goals in a 17-minute span to Cal in last week’s overtime victory. But senior defender Aaron Lopez believes that Saturday’s game was more of the norm.
“(The defense) isn’t really gone, we’ve been good all year,” Lopez said. “We’re known for having a strong defense; it’s pretty hard to break, and this game is just another example of that.”
Although the game was a non-conference match, the victory reaffirms the strides the Bruins have made since earlier in the season. Freshman forward Kamani Hill attributes the improved play to the chemistry that has developed within the team.
“Once we bond and once we get chemistry, it’s hard to break,” Hill said. “On and off the field, everyone is enjoying everyone’s company.
“And I feel that’s one of the most important things a team can have.”
One thing that remains on the minds of many UCLA players is securing the top spot in the conference.
With the loss by Washington to Cal this weekend, the Bruins now sit atop the conference as they vie for a possible first-round bye in the NCAA tournament and home-field advantage for the better part of the postseason.
Now the Bruins find themselves in position to bring home their third consecutive conference title with just four games remaining in the regular season.
“We can’t afford a loss,” Hill said. “The team is playing really well and it’s very inspiring to have a five-game win streak.
“We’re taking every game like it’s the championship.”