In a classic Southern versus Northern California showdown, UCLA and California faced off in a battle of the bears.
No. 12 UCLA men’s soccer (2-0-2) tied 2-2 against former Pac-12 foe Cal (1-0-2) at Edwards Stadium in Berkeley on Tuesday. The Bruins entered the match with an undefeated streak.
The game opened with a strong offensive stride from Cal, which dominated the first half. The Golden Bears struck the first shot on goal in the seventh minute, but the attempt was swiftly blocked by sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Tiltack. The Golden Bears racked up four fouls in addition to a yellow card within the first half.
UCLA persisted, with junior midfielder Jaime Amaro taking a shot against Cal in the 11th minute and fifth-year forward Diego Castano launching a shot in the 25th minute, bending it too far right to settle in the back of the net.
During the 20th minute, the physicality of the game escalated, with back-to-back yellow cards on UCLA sophomore midfielder Ander Marticorena and Cal midfielder Brendan Bell. Referee Sergio Gonzalez was not afraid to call fouls, showing nine yellow cards throughout the match – seven in the second half alone.
After a turnover of players on the home squad’s side, the Golden Bears were able to find the back of the net.
Forward/midfielder Malcolm Zalayet put the Golden Bears on the scoresheet in the 32nd minute after three back-to-back corner kicks from his side.
And the 1-0 Cal lead stood entering halftime.
“We didn’t start the best and found ourselves down and tried to get a hold of the game, which we started to do in the first half,” said coach Ryan Jorden. “We came out in the second half and got in control of the game the way we would have wanted to be for the entirety of it.”
After halftime, UCLA reset its energy with substitutes fifth-year forward Cameron Arnold and Amaro contributing to a shift in play. The Bruins tightened their defensive line to prevent further goals from the Golden Bears.
“In the first half for all of us it wasn’t our best work, and then going into the second half, we had a shift in mindset, and we were more calm on the ball and in finding gaps and spaces to play into,” said junior defender Shakir Nixon.
And in the 61st minute, Amaro did just that.
The midfielder found a gap in the field and took control down Cal’s line, sending the ball into the back of the net and equalizing the scoreboard.
UCLA’s second-half comeback persisted as the team applied pressure on Cal and fired three shots, two courtesy of senior midfielder Philip Naef, before its next goal.
The Bruins continued to attack, with Nixon breaking away and scoring another goal for the Westwood squad in the 81st minute off an assist from Naef, giving the Bruins their first lead of the night.
But the lead did not hold for long.
With one minute left in the game, Cal forward Kai Oppenheim sent the ball to the back of the net, tying the match once more. A potential handball in UCLA’s box and a possible offside position prompted the referees to send the goal into VAR, but the goal was confirmed, and the final whistle was blown.
“I didn’t really think too much of the calls. In a lot of the games, the refs can make the calls if it goes either way,” Nixon said. “Regardless of the calls made, we had a lot of opportunities to score and put the game away. It comes down more to that than any decision from the ref, to be fair.”
The game marks the second tie for the Bruins so far.
“I was proud of the boys because coming from behind is not easy, and for us to both get the equalizer and go ahead and then hit the post a couple of times,” Jorden said. “We were in a really good place, and that’s probably why a tie at the end of it feels like a loss.”
UCLA will return to Wallis Annenberg Stadium to face Omaha on Sunday, its final game before entering conference play.
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