No. 1 UCLA Concludes Regular Season on "Senior Night" vs. No. 4 LBSU
On Deck This Week
No. 1 UCLA (24-2, 7-0 MPSF) concludes the 2014 regular season when it hosts No. 4 Long Beach State (17-5, 5-2 MPSF) on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7:00 p.m. on "Senior Night." By virtue of their win at No. 7 Pacific last week and an earlier home win over No. 2 Stanford, the Bruins have claimed the No. 1 seed at next week's MPSF Tournament at Long Beach State (Nov. 21-23). UCLA has also claimed at least a share of the regular season MPSF crown for the second straight year and can win it outright with a win over the 49ers this week.
Series Meetings
UCLA is 95-20-1 all-time vs. Long Beach State. The Bruins have won 16 straight matches over Long Beach State. The 49ers' last win over the Bruins was a 9-5 victory in the semifinals of the SoCal Tournament on Sept. 21, 2003.
Being No. 1
UCLA has now spent six weeks at No. 1 in 2014, more than any other team. Stanford has spent four weeks at No. 1 this season, but UCLA has knocked the Cardinal off twice while they held the top spot.
Recapping Last Week
The Bruins remained undefeated at 7-0 in the MPSF by posting a 12-8 win at No. 7 Pacific on Saturday, Nov. 8. Then the Bruins won 16-4 at No. 14 UC Davis to improve their overall record to 24-2, including a 16-0 mark away from home (8-0 road, 8-0 neutral). With the win at Pacific, the Bruins claimed the No. 1 seed at next week's MPSF Tournament at Long Beach State (Nov. 21-23). UCLA also claimed at least a share of the regular season MPSF crown for the second straight year.
Defensive Dynamos
UCLA’s defense has been solid this season, allowing an MPSF-low 5.19 goals per game. Sophomore goalie Garrett Danner leads the MPSF with a 5.96 goals against average and ranks sixth in the league in saves per game (10.34). Additionally, senior goalkeeper Stephen White (3.56 gaa) would lead the MPSF and senior goalie James Hartshorne (4.73 gaa) would be second in goals against average, but neither has played in enough quarters to qualify.
Offensive Operators
UCLA’s offense is currently third in the MPSF, averaging 15.08 goals per game. The Bruins have scored 20 or more goals in seven of 26 games. The fewest goals UCLA has scored in any game this year is six, done in back-to-back losses to No. 4 USC and No. 2 Stanford in the SoCal Tournament. Seniors Cristiano Mirarchi and Paul Reynolds are tied for the team lead in scoring at 42 goals (1.91 gpg), which ranks tied for 10th in the MPSF. The Bruins currently have four players in the MPSF Top 25 in scoring (10. Cristiano Mirarchi, 1.91 gpg; 10. Paul Reynolds, 1.91 gpg; 16. Gordon Marshall, 1.72 gpg and 24. Danny McClintick, 1.35 gpg).
Garrett Danner On Career Chart
Just a sophomore, Garrett Danner ranks seventh on the UCLA career charts with 427 (10.7 saves per game) and set the UCLA single season record with 262 in 2013 as a redshirt freshman. He needs 15 saves to pass Parsa Bonderson (1996-99, 441 saves) for sixth place on the Bruins' career charts.
Paul Reynolds On Career Scoring List
Senior attacker Paul Reynolds is currently fifth on UCLA’s all-time scoring list with 170 goals (1.6 gpg). He needs seven more goals to pass Joshua Samuels (2009-12, 176 goals) for fourth place. He is averaging 1.91 goals per game (tied for first on the team and 10th in the MPSF) in 2014, which if he maintains, would put him at No. 3 all-time by year’s-end.
Against Ranked Teams
The Bruins are 18-2 (.900) against ranked teams in 2014 and for the second straight year, have beaten a No. 1 team (both times in the finals of the NorCal Tournament). Last year UCLA defeated No. 1 USC, 9-8, to win the title and this year defeated No. 1 Stanford, 9-7 at NorCals and 7-6 at home in MPSF play.
Wright On Deck For Year Six
The Bruins are led by sixth-year head coach Adam Wright, who has compiled a 146-29 (.834) record, including a 40-9 (.816) mark in MPSF action. He won his 100th game in 2013 with the 10-4 victory over No. 6 UC Santa Barbara in the quarterfinals of the SoCal Tournament (Sept. 21). Wright played at UCLA from 1997-2000, leading the Bruins to NCAA Championships in 1999 and 2000. He played for the USA National Team in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics, leading Team USA to a silver medal in 2008 in Beijing. Wright played for the National Team in every major international tournament from 2001-12. He has guided the Bruins to two MPSF Tournament titles and three runner-up finishes at the NCAA Tournament in his four complete seasons at the helm. In 2009 and 2011, UCLA won the MPSF Tournament title. He has guided the Bruins to the title match of the NCAA Tournament in three of his four seasons (2009, 2011, 2012). Wright was named MPSF Coach of the Year in 2011 after leading UCLA to the MPSF Tournament title and a runner-up finish at the NCAA Tournament.
Gordon Marshall Named MPSF/Kap7 Player of the Week (Oct. 29, 2014)
The MPSF announced on Monday (Oct. 27) that UCLA sophomore center Gordon Marshall (Newcastle, Australia) has been named the MPSF/Kap7 Player of the Week. Marshall led the Bruins to a pair of MPSF wins last week to stay unbeaten in the conference at 5-0 (21-2 overall). Marshall scored twice in a 7-6 win over top-ranked Stanford, followed by a second two-goal effort in a 10-7 win at No. 7 UC Santa Barbara. He has scored nine goals in his last three games, placing him 12th this week amongst the MPSF scoring leaders with 28 goals (1.87 GPG). This is Marshall’s first career MPSF honor, and the third player of the week award for a Bruin in 2014. Further, six of the eight weekly awards this year have gone to a sophomore.
Danny McClintick Named MPSF/Kap7 Player of the Week (Sept. 29, 2014)
The MPSF announced on Monday (Sept. 29) that UCLA junior utility Danny McClintick (Agoura Hills, CA/Agoura HS) has been named the MPSF/Kap7 Player of the Week. McClintick scored a game-high four goals and added two assists to lead the top-ranked Bruins to a 17-9 win over No. 9 UC Irvine. He scored the eventual game-winning goal with 5:17 left in the third period. McClintick also drew the defensive assignment on MPSF scoring leader Lovre Milos (4.67 GPG) and held him to two goals. This is McClintick’s first career player of the week honor. He was a 2013 all-conference honorable mention selection.
Garrett Danner Named MPSF/Kap7 Player of the Week (Sept. 22, 2014)
The MPSF announced on Monday (Sept. 22) that UCLA sophomore goalkeeper Garrett Danner (Coto de Caza, CA/El Toro HS) was named the MPSF/Kap7 Player of the Week. He tallied 14 saves in the Bruins’ 9-7 NorCal Semifinal win over No. 3 USC, before a career-high tying 15-save effort in the 9-7 championship win over No. 1 Stanford. The Trojans and Cardinal were held to a collective 5-for-21 on power plays, in which Danner made 11 stops on those 5-on-6 plays. Danner helped UCLA remain undefeated at 12-0 and win the Kap7 NorCal Classic at Stockton, Calif., beating three top six teams en route to the title. The Bruins opened with the only shutout of the tournament, a 24-0 win over Pomona-Pitzer with Danner sitting out the game. The Bruins then posted a 15-6 win at No. 6 Pacific in the quarterfinals, with Danner playing the first three quarters and being relieved at 6:34 in the fourth. He had six saves and three steals while allowing four goals. For the Kap7 NorCal Classic, Danner averaged 12.54 saves per game (35 saves) and posted a goals against average of 6.44. He also led UCLA with 10 steals.