Oregon State Men’s Soccer opened their Pac-12 schedule with an impressive 1-0 win over 21st ranked UCLA in Los Angeles. With their second straight win over a ranked team, the Beavers improved to 4-2-1 on the season, and of course 1-0 in the conference.
The Beavers scored the lone goal of the game early. In the 14th minute, Mouhameth Thiam found Ellis Spikner right in front of the net with an amazing cross for the score. The goal is Spikner’s 2nd goal and 6th point of the season. He leads the team in total points. Thiam notched his third assist and third point.
Oregon State continued to set the pace of the game for the rest of its duration. The Beavers outshot the Bruins 11-3 to three, with UCLA never actually managing a shot on goal. The Beavers managed 5 shots on goal, only Spikner’s made it past the UCLA goalie.
The shutout is the Beavers third this season. After dropping out of the rankings after some early season struggles, Oregon State now has two wins over ranked opponents in consecutive weeks. Last week they took down the then 11th ranked Denver Pioneers 2-1. The Beavers came into the season with lofty expectations, and might have gotten themselves back on track after a great pair of victories.
The next challenge for Oregon State is in just a couple of days. From Los Angeles they’ll be heading south to take on San Diego State. The Aztecs are 3-5-2 overall, and are coming off a 0-2 loss against Washington.