All the Bruins needed to start their 2022 campaign on the right note was a goal from one of their top veterans.
No. 23 UCLA men’s soccer (1-0) kicked off Thursday’s match at a slow and grinding pace against UC Irvine (0-1), but as the game opened up in the second half, redshirt senior forward Kevin Diaz powered home an open header to give the blue and gold the 1-0 win. The Norwalk, California, native scored six goals a season ago and is now the first Bruin to place their name on the scoring sheet in 2022.
Diaz’s goal came in the 52nd minute and came about from a short corner kick picked up by redshirt senior midfielder Jose Sosa. The 5-foot-6 playmaker took a quick dribble and then crossed the ball into the box. Diaz shifted between defenders to stay onside and then struck.
From a full step ahead of UC Irvine’s defense, the veteran fired a header into the bottom right corner of the net.
Before Diaz’s strike, UCLA had failed to find a clear shot at grabbing a goal.
The Bruins’ first half efforts were built off of sustained possession running against the Anteaters’ defense. UCLA was able to tally five shots in the first 45 minutes, but none of the attempts on goal threatened to cross the line.
Sophomore defender Pietro Grassi was unavailable due to a suspension he earned during the Bruins’ NCAA Tournament loss to Duke, and his absence caused coach Ryan Jorden to shuffle up the backline against UC Irvine.
American graduate transfer Nicolas Blassou and junior Tommy Silva – who usually appears as a left back – were the center backs in the lineup. Junior Grayson Doody and sophomore Aaron Edwards were showcased as the right back and left back respectively.
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Those mismatched defensive pairings led to multiple Anteaters’ chances, with errant passes allowing clean shots towards sophomore goalkeeper Nate Crockford. UC Irvine didn’t do much to capitalize, though, considering the direction of those shots deep in the attacking third.
Crockford – who stands at 6-foot-4 – was able to earn a clean sheet in the match, but never had to make a save with zero shots on goal from the Anteaters.
UCLA’s defense only allowed one shot from UC Irvine in the second half, an improvement compared to the four allowed in the first half. Freshman midfielder Tarun Karumanchi – the only first-year player to play for the Bruins on Thursday – fell back into a central defending role as the night rolled along.
The San Jose Earthquakes alumnus played a significant role against the Bruins’ Big West opponents, making tackles to stunt Anteaters’ attacks and sparking UCLA chances with his crossfield passes.
San Diego State transfer and junior forward Andre Ochoa made his debut in blue and gold against UC Irvine. Starting as the only striker in the lineup, he played in a false nine position, then exited with an injury during the 77th minute.
UCLA will try to make it two wins in a row when it plays host to Virginia Tech on Sunday at 6 pm The action will be broadcast on Pac-12 Networks.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF JESUS RAMIREZ/UCLA ATHLETICS
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