Photo by Don Liebig

By RYAN TOLMICH

As if they needed any more motivation to be great, the UCLA Bruins now understand the pain that comes with getting oh so close.

Having stormed through the NCAA tournament with a trio of three-goal performances, UCLA was tasked with taking on Virginia in the national championship game. Outshooting the Cavaliers 15-6 in the game’s opening 90 minutes, the Bruins looked well on their way to the school’s first national title until 2002.

But then, penalty kicks.

Defeated, 4-2, from the spot, UCLA was unceremoniously knocked out with a title within grasp, just one step away from reaching college soccer’s ultimate goal.

Now, a year older, a year wiser and with a major chip on their shoulder, UCLA head coach Jorge Salcedo says the pain of last year’s final is still felt with this year’s group, although the lesson’s learned radiate just as much.

“It was very difficult to lose in the manner that we did,” Salcedo told SBI. “I think every soccer player that has played the game has played in matches where they were the better team and lost. Players have played in matches where they weren’t the better team and won.

“The takeaway is that you have to do it every single game. Just because you were good in your previous match doesn’t mean that you’re going to obtain the same results by doing things the same way. Each game presents different challenges and each game presents different tactical challenges, so my overall thought on what happened in the national championship game is that each game presents challenges that we have to be prepared for and we have to cope with those challenges.”

For UCLA, those challenges begin right from the get-go. Starting the season facing a tough New Mexico team, the Bruins, now burdened with a status as favorites, are also tasked with taking on two fellow College Cup contenders in Maryland and Georgetown in consecutive road matches to start the year.

For Salcedo, games like those are essential for his team’s growth. Featuring a young group that includes double-digit freshmen, Salcedo is looking to toss his younger players right into the fire, while his team’s veteran core is given the immediate chance to sharpen iron against iron in big-time match-ups.

“I think it’s huge for us,” said captain defender Michael Amick. “Last year, we had a very difficult schedule as well, and all the games provide something we can learn from and something that will help us in our final playoff run. We want to generate some wins, but also get the experience of playing these hard teams.

“The opportunity to play Maryland in a hard environment in a different atmosphere and followed up by Georgetown, those games give us challenges that we need to be ready for if we travel in the postseason.

“The Pac-12 will be strong yet again and we’ll have to play different types of teams. Stanford is a very physical, athletic team. Teams like Cal are very good at moving the ball. It just provides good learning experiences for our team moving forward to prepare for the postseason run.”

That potential postseason run will be aided by a slew of returning players, despite UCLA’s loss of playmaker Leo Stolz, last year’s Hermann trophy winner. Salcedo says that Stolz presence is surely missed, while stating that it was up to players like U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team midfielder Jackson Yuiell and Real Salt Lake product Jose Hernandez to help fill the void. Others like Brian Iloski and Willy Raygoza are also able to step in.

Amick, meanwhile, says that Stolz’s departure will see some major changes and, sometimes, change isn’t too bad. Given the opportunity to embrace a different style is one that could prove fruitful for a UCLA team that still has many weapons at their disposal.

Those weapons start right at the top of the field with the three-headed forward monster of Abu Danladi, Seyi Adekoya and Larry Ndjock, a trio that proved menacing despite its series of hurdles last season.

Hampered by injury in 2014, Danladi provided five goals and six assists in just 12 games. Before being sidelined by a broken leg, Adekoya provided five goals and four assists, while Ndjock’s brace in last year’s semifinals contributed to his seven finishes last season.

With all three at his disposal, Salcedo says he has plans to rotate them in and out of games, taking full advantage of college soccer’s substitution rules while keeping the trio fresh. For Danladi, that is just fine as the group has full confidence in its ability to score no matter who is on the field.

“Whoever you play with, you have to trust them,” Danladi said. “That’s one thing about soccer: you have to trust your teammates to make good decisions. You have to have a connection between us. We already have a connection. We laugh, make jokes. We know each other, and being on the field, we already know what we’re doing.

“It doesn’t matter who scores. For the team, if one of them scored five goals in a game and I don’t score, I’m still happy. It’s not an individual competition. It’s good.”

That chemistry is repeated if you move further down the field, as UCLA returns its entire defensive unit.

Led by Amick, the Bruins’ defense features fellow captains in Grady Howe and Edgar Contreras, players Salcedo called the heart of his team.

That unit, Salcedo says, is one that will prove crucial as the Bruins make their run. While the forward group can be expected to score plenty of goals, the defense can be expected to limit them in equal measure, making UCLA quite the formidable foe.

“It’s huge for confidence and it’s just great having everyone together still,” Amick said. “It’s another great opportunity because we didn’t get quite what we wanted to last year, and we had a pretty rough end. We have a chip on our shoulder, the back four as a whole, to progress this year and make another good year out of it.”

But what would be a good year for UCLA? Is it national championship or bust?

Not so fast, Salcedo said, although the UCLA coach says a national title is still very much on the team’s radar.

Salcedo isn’t looking to set such a finite target, no matter how much the team yearns to bring him a trophy at the end of the season. Rather, Salcedo is just looking for his side to play up to its full potential, whatever that may be, while allowing things like conference and national titles simply fall into place.

“We don’t put any additional pressure on us to win a national championship,” Amick said of the team’s mindet. “But as a team, we want to strive for our full potential and be the best team that we can be and let that take us as far as possible.”

“I feel like a successful season is if the team knows how we did,” Danladi added. “Did you really work hard enough? It’s a team sport. If you work as hard as you can and you do all the things right, you will be successful as well. As much as I always want to win, it doesn’t always work out that way. I’m looking forward to it and I hope we win everything.”