Jacob Lauing
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If UCLA was looking for vengeance, it’ll have to wait.
Almost a year after the Cal Poly men’s basketball team upset then-No.11 UCLA, Cal Poly stuck it to the Bruins once again, as the men’s soccer team pulled out a 3-0 victory in Los Angeles Thursday night.
No. 6 UCLA (1-1-1) is the highest ranked team Cal Poly has ever beaten.
“It’s definitely one of the most satisfying wins because it’s confirmation that what we’re doing and the style that we’re developing and the hard work that we’ve put in the last two years on this new system” head coach Paul Holocher said. “In that respect, I feel so satisfied and excited.”
UCLA, the reigning Pac-12 conference champion, was picked to repeat atop the conference in 2013. The Bruins fell to San Diego in the second round of the NCAA tournament last season, despite having the Pac-12 Coach of the Year and nine all-conference players, including All-American and conference player of the year Ryan Hollingshead.
“They just beat (No. 8) Indiana on the road,” Holocher said. “Even when you have a team full of All-Americans and what not, if they don’t have the ball, they’re rendered coverage.”
The Bruins could only muster three shots on goal, all of which resulted in saves for Cal Poly’s goalkeeper Wade Hamilton.
The unranked Mustangs (2-1-0) got on the board early with a goal from midfielder Chase Minter at the 10:20 mark. Fourteen minutes later, Cal Poly kept things rolling when senior forward Mackenzie Pridham collected his third goal of the season.
“We emphasize our ball circulation, we emphasize taking good surveillance and being aware,” Holocher said. “We had good penetration on the front line, so our passing game was on and we were moving the ball very well tonight.”
With six minutes left in the contest, senior Chris Bernardi found the net and put the finishing touches on the Mustangs’ second win of the season, as well as one of the biggest wins of Holocher’s Cal Poly career.
“It’s entertaining because it’s a collective effort,” Holocher said. “People have a lot of smiles on their face after the game. There must have been 150, 200 Cal Poly people here. There’s just joy on their face.”
Those fans won’t have to wait long for more Cal Poly soccer. The Mustangs open a four-game, two-week homestand this weekend and will play host to Gonzaga, Pennsylvania, San Jose State and Yale.
Cal Poly kicks off the home opener with Gonzaga this Sunday at 1 p.m. in Alex G. Spanos Stadium.
With their biggest upset in Cal Poly soccer history, the Mustangs are a squad to look out for in 2013, according to Holocher.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Holocher said. “One game at a time, though.”