EAST LANSING- Michigan State men’s soccer took on the UCLA Bruins on Monday night at DeMartin Stadium. A night for soccer, and glowing green. With an 8 p.m start, it was under the lights at kickoff. 

MSU started the match with the ball, and forced UCLA on the defense for much of the first ten minutes. A couple potential plays in the penalty area kept UCLA on their feet. A strong defense shut out all of MSU’s attempts. 

UCLA played strong man-to-man coverage, keeping the pressure on the Spartans. This made it hard for any player to get that needed breakaway. 

The first half went scoreless, with MSU leading the shots on goal 6-3. UCLA goalkeeper Kevin Box had 2 saves in the first period, keeping the game score 0-0 heading into the final 45 minutes.

Just a couple minutes into the second half, UCLA player number 20, drew the first yellow card of the match. While much of the first half was defined by MSU’s offensive ball control, UCLA looked to switch that around in the second. 

As the clock ticked down in the second half, it was clear this match was going to come down to one goal if either team was going to win. Although, two strong defensives made that nearly impossible for much of the match. 

MSU led the charge offensively in the last ten minutes. As the tension on the field grew, the fans got on their feet. If a goal was going to happen, it was going to be now. The announcer signaling one minute left. The gloves are off, and both teams are pushing strong. MSU holds off the final push from UCLA. With the ball in the hands of MSU goalkeeper Zac Kelly, he sends the ball into UCLA territory for the last push of the game. 

The clock winding down from 10 seconds as he makes the connection to MSU’s number 10 Richie Ludwig. Quickly moving the ball up the field, he gave it to wide open forward Chimnosoh Okeke for the final shot. As the game clock ticks to zero, the ball leaves his foot for the last time. UCLA denies the goal. The game ended 0-0.

MSU will be back on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. facing off against Kansas City here at DeMartin stadium.