UCLA shut out its cross-town rival 3-0 at home on Sunday afternoon.
"They played bleeping unbelievable," said head coach Noach Rothstein. "Compared to last game, this was a totally different team. And compared to the team we played last week, [USC] is so much better and we ran them off the field."
The Bruins got the upper hand early in the game when Trevor Child put away a free kick following a Trojan penalty. UCLA held up a strong defensive game against the USC offense, not allowing the Trojan men many scoring opportunities.
The Bruins were able to extend their lead following a long-range drive from Kellen Whetstone, giving them a 2-0 advantage going into the half.
"At halftime, you obviously can't be pleased with yourself," Rothstein said. "You have to keep up the intensity because that is what has gotten you here."
UCLA entered the second half of the game with the same energy as it had in the first half. They then extended their lead to three after Ashtin Cheng put a shot past the Trojan goalkeeper, who was far off his line.
The UCLA defense remained strong despite the comfortable lead, not allowing USC any definitive opportunities to push back into the game.
The Bruin men closed out the match with a final score of 3-0.
"I wish I could have something negative to say," coach Rothstein said, "but they really played unbelievable today against a very good team."
