Golden goal lifts UCLA men's soccer to home victory early in OT

The Bruins had a flair for the dramatic Sunday night.

UCLA men's soccer (1-1) had a chance to close out San Francisco (1-1) in regulation, but after the Dons put one in the back of the net in the waning minutes of the match, the Bruins would have to beat out their Bay Area opponents in overtime. Thanks to sophomore defender Tommy Silva, they did just that, emerging with a tight 2-1 victory over San Francisco to even up their record two games into the 2021 campaign.

Less than three minutes into extra time, redshirt freshman Tucker Lepley had the ball in the attacking third and absorbed some contact that sent him to the ground as he lobbed it into the middle. San Francisco's back line seemed to differ to the keeper, who was charging out to the top of the box to collect the pass, but Silva slipped in behind to make a play on it.

Silva took one touch to bounce it by goalie, and then sped to the 6-yard line to put it away with no one but his teammates surrounding him.

Tommy Silva is golden! 🏅#GoBruins | @derricksilvaa pic.twitter.com/vx4lV6Gw17
— UCLA Men's Soccer (@UCLAMSoccer) August 30, 2021

It wasn't the first time Silva clinched UCLA a win via a golden goal either. He did the same against California in the 2021 spring season finale. But while that victory meant the Bruins would finish the year 3-7-2, this one gives them a shot to get over .500 and keep the season afloat after getting upset by Lipscomb 2-1 in the season opener on Thursday.

The win already seemed like it was well within UCLA's grasp just a few minutes before Silva's game-winner, however.

Following a scoreless opening half on both sides, redshirt freshman forward Jose Contell guided the ball down the left wing with a defender on him loosely. He took a few touches to cut into the box, then crossed it in to a crashing junior midfielder Riley Ferch, who rifled it into the top left corner for the goal.

On the board, courtesy of @FerchRiley.

📺 | @Pac12Network
📲 | https://t.co/l8ixs3AWv1 #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/sluw6cSIrA
— UCLA Men's Soccer (@UCLAMSoccer) August 29, 2021

For the next 30-plus minutes, the Bruins dominated possession while the Dons saw very few chances to knot things up.

Things took a turn when San Francisco went on a counter attack after a UCLA corner kick and a shot on goal by senior defender Ahmed Longmire. In the long trek to the other end of the field, sophomore forward Grayson Doody wound up picking up a foul and setting his opponent up with a free kick in the 86th minute. The Dons made the most of the set piece, sending the ball deep into the box and heading it in after an unlikely deflection off a Bruin defender.

Ferch attempted another shot less than a minute after the equalizer, but he missed left and UCLA couldn't find its target before regulation came to a close.

The next time the Bruins got a shot was on Silva's golden goal. UCLA outshot San Francisco 10-2 in the match, and senior goalkeeper Justin Garces only made one save on his two opportunities.

UCLA will get back on the pitch Saturday at 7 p.m. on the road against UC Irvine. It will be the Bruins' first road game of the season and the only one of their first eight games that will be played away from Wallis Annenberg Stadium.

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