By Ron Smith
August 17, 2019
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) A lone goal by UC Santa Barbara in the in the 10th minute was the only blemish on what Westmont Men's Soccer head coach Dave Wolf called 'a classic Westmont performance'.
 
The goal came off a well-executed free kick by Thibault Candia from 22 yards out on the right side that found the head of Faouzi Taleb near the far post.
 
The remaining 80 minutes of the 57th Annual Bryant Cup, as the annual exhibition contest is named, resulted in two shots on goals and two saves by each team.
 
"From a competitive standpoint, the guys showed up," said Wolf of his team. "Our form tonight was better than how I felt coming into tonight. So, I felt like we were able to push it a step further – that was encouraging."
 
Wolf was particularly pleased with his team's defensive efforts, led by Tim Heiduk.
 
"Timmy has struggled here a little bit at the start of camp," noted Wolf. "As he always does, he has been honest and owned it. I knew that tonight the motivation would be high and I thought he delivered a captain's performance tonight. That was good to see."
 
In the 57th minute, UCSB's Ignacio Tellechea sent a ball toward the goal. Heiduk, facing the goal with his back to the shooter, headed the ball safely to the right of the net.
 
Westmont's defense was made all the more impressive given the events which occurred just prior to the game.
 
"Literally five minutes before kick-off, Zach Godeck got pulled," reported Wolf. "We were planning on starting Zach and Timmy. So, literally five minutes before kick-off, I walked in and said to Josh Phillips, 'You're going'. I thought he did an admirable job under the circumstances. I think the guys at the back did a nice job tonight."
 
The 70th minute proved to be the most eventful of the contest beginning when Samuel Tuscano got loose and was headed toward the goal one-on-one against UCSB keeper Ben Roach.
 
"The keeper did a good job of forcing the issue and took the dribbler (Tuscano) wide," said Wolf. That being said, the ball that Sam pulled back was perfect, it's just that none of the scrappy little Warriors could get to it. However, he pulled it back to exactly the right place. If we would have had a little bit more legs, maybe somebody gets there to the top of the box or the penalty spot to take that chance. But, I think it is one of those plays where all of the players executed well.
 
Still in the 70th minute, the Gauchos launched a counter attack that resulted in a shot by Carter Clemmensen hitting the right post and rebounding back into the field of play. With Westmont goalkeeper Edward "Lalo" Delgado now out of position, Tellechea attempted a shot that seemed destined to produce the Gaucho's second score. Heiduk, however, intercepted the shot and kicked it to safety to keep the score at 1-0.
 
The intensity of the rivalry was reflected in the number of penalty cards issues. Five yellow cards were presented to each team, with UCSB's Omari Fontes receiving a red card after picking up his second yellow.
 
With their win, the Gauchos now claim a 29-24-4 advantage in the Bryant Cup.
 
Next Tuesday night, Westmont will travel to Westwood for a scrimmage with UCLA and an opportunity to square off against the Bruins' new coach – Westmont alumnus Ryan Jorden. Not only did Jorden play on Wolf's teams while at Westmont, but he also served for a number of years as Wolf's assistant coach.
 
"It is quite a gantlet this week," said Wolf. "But, as I said to the guys yesterday, what a special week. I told them they were going to play in the most iconic soccer venue in the country – Harder Stadium – and then against maybe the most iconic program in college soccer in UCLA.
 
"Playing against UCLA with RJ as head coach, obviously has a lot of meaning for me personally and it is an amazing week for our guys. Recovery is going to be a challenge prior to Tuesday night. To step back out there against a team that will move as fast - that will be a challenge and we probably will have to rotate some players. But, what a privilege it is to be able to play UCLA at UCLA. It doesn't get any better than that."