PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The No. 19 UCLA men's soccer program scored a trio of goals in the second half to beat Rutgers 3-0 on Friday night. Andre Ochoa, Jose Contell, and Nico Cavallo provided the goals for the Bruins in the win.
In the win both Ochoa and Cavallo scored their first goals of the season. Ochoa also tallied his first assist of the campaign on the Bruins' third goal of the game. Wyatt Nelson produced his second clean sheet of the season and made a career-high eight saves on the night.
With the score tied 0-0 to begin the second half, the Bruins (6-3-4, 3-2-2 Big Ten) came out firing efficiently. Of their four shots in the second period, three were scored by three different Bruins.
Ochoa opened the scoring and his account in 2024 for the Bruins in the 56th minute. Phillip Naef picked up the ball on the right flank just outside the 18-yard box. He then lifted a cross to Ochoa, who was crashing the box, and headed the ball home to give UCLA a 1-0 advantage.
UCLA controlled the game after scoring the first goal. Naef caused havoc again down the right side 14 minutes later, and was dragged down in the box, earning UCLA a penalty. Jose Contell calmly converted it, and put UCLA up 2-0 in the 70th minute.
Two minutes later the Bruins added a third. After some intricate play from Ochoa to find Edrey Caceres, Caceres played Cavallo through down the left side. The defender took a touch to bring the ball into the box before slotting his shot into the back of the net, giving the Bruins a 3-0 lead with 18 minutes to play. The goal was Cavallo's first as a Bruin.
Earlier in the game, UCLA's best chance of the opening 45 minutes came in the 34th minute. Philip Naef found Contell, who had his shot well saved by the Rutgers keeper to keep the game scoreless.
UCLA continued to look for the opener in the final five minutes of the half. Both Andre Ochoa and Tamir Ratoviz both had great looks blocked by the Rutgers defense, keeping the Bruins off the board. Tarun Karumanchi also had his effort from outside the box that was on target blocked at the 43-minute mark, and the sides entered the halftime break knotted at 0-0.
Up Next: The Bruins will take on No. 6 Maryland on Monday night in University Park, Maryland. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network and will kickoff at 4 p.m. PT.
Game Notes:
In the win both Ochoa and Cavallo scored their first goals of the season. Ochoa also tallied his first assist of the campaign on the Bruins' third goal of the game. Wyatt Nelson produced his second clean sheet of the season and made a career-high eight saves on the night.
With the score tied 0-0 to begin the second half, the Bruins (6-3-4, 3-2-2 Big Ten) came out firing efficiently. Of their four shots in the second period, three were scored by three different Bruins.
Ochoa opened the scoring and his account in 2024 for the Bruins in the 56th minute. Phillip Naef picked up the ball on the right flank just outside the 18-yard box. He then lifted a cross to Ochoa, who was crashing the box, and headed the ball home to give UCLA a 1-0 advantage.
Naef ?? Ochoa ????#GoBruins https://t.co/YWJ1AZLA0n pic.twitter.com/bsPbzmO7QH
— UCLA Men's Soccer (@UCLAMSoccer) October 19, 2024
UCLA controlled the game after scoring the first goal. Naef caused havoc again down the right side 14 minutes later, and was dragged down in the box, earning UCLA a penalty. Jose Contell calmly converted it, and put UCLA up 2-0 in the 70th minute.
Two minutes later the Bruins added a third. After some intricate play from Ochoa to find Edrey Caceres, Caceres played Cavallo through down the left side. The defender took a touch to bring the ball into the box before slotting his shot into the back of the net, giving the Bruins a 3-0 lead with 18 minutes to play. The goal was Cavallo's first as a Bruin.
NICO CAVALLO FIRST GOAL AS A BRUIN!
— UCLA Men's Soccer (@UCLAMSoccer) October 19, 2024
UCLA leads 3-0 in the 72nd minute!#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/vcnbKX9apc
Earlier in the game, UCLA's best chance of the opening 45 minutes came in the 34th minute. Philip Naef found Contell, who had his shot well saved by the Rutgers keeper to keep the game scoreless.
UCLA continued to look for the opener in the final five minutes of the half. Both Andre Ochoa and Tamir Ratoviz both had great looks blocked by the Rutgers defense, keeping the Bruins off the board. Tarun Karumanchi also had his effort from outside the box that was on target blocked at the 43-minute mark, and the sides entered the halftime break knotted at 0-0.
Up Next: The Bruins will take on No. 6 Maryland on Monday night in University Park, Maryland. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network and will kickoff at 4 p.m. PT.
Game Notes:
- Andre Ochoa tallied his first goal and assist of 2024 during the game. Ochoa now has eight goals and 12 assists as a Bruin.
- Nico Cavallo scored his first goal as a Bruin, and the second goal of his collegiate career. His first collegiate goal came last season when he was at Davidson.
- Philip Naef tallied his team-leading fifth assist of the season in the win.
- Nelson made eight saves on Friday night, setting a new career high for the sophomore.
- The Bruins recorded their sixth clean sheet of the season Friday, putting them tied atop the Big Ten with Ohio State for the most shutouts in 2024.
- Freshman Artem Vovk and sophomore Tre Wright made their first career starts.