LOS ANGELES – Senior winger Constantinos Michaelides notched an eighth minute goal and a staunch defensive effort made that hold up as the game-winner as No. 15 UCLA defeated Cal State Fullerton 1-0 on Saturday night at Wallis Annenberg Stadium.
Michaelides got the Bruins (5-2-1) on the board with an eighth-minute score, finishing off a set piece with a headed redirect that snuck inside the far post.
UCLA couldn’t capitalize on its remaining scoring chances, but prevented the Titans (5-3-2) from ever equalizing. The result marked the Bruins’ fourth shutout of the 2022 campaign.
“I’m proud of the guys for pitching a shutout, proud of the guys for getting a result at home, but our lack of clinical-ness made us work a lot harder than we probably needed to,” said UCLA head coach Ryan Jorden.
A pair of individual defensive efforts stood out given the final score.
In the 31st minute, UCLA sophomore keeper Nate Crockford was forced to come off his line following a turnover deep in Bruin territory. One on one with an attacking Titan, Crockford sprawled out and made a twisting punch low to the ground to knock the ball away and end the scoring chance. Crockford ended the contest with four saves, matching his season-high.
Then in the 69th minute, junior forward Andre Ochoa made a spectacular play to deny a sure goal, tracking back and sliding across the goal line to clear a low shot off the line.
69′ | Andre Ochoa turns in the defensive…
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