When a foul just outside the penalty box was awarded to the Cal men’s soccer team in the 31st minute, the University of Central Florida players were up in arms. As some Knights argued with the referee, the entire UCF defense was in disarray, not paying attention to the free kick.
And in the middle of the fracas Cal midfielders Tony Salciccia and Seth Casiple stood calmly by the ball and exchanged glances back and forth. As soon as the whistle blew, Casiple sneaked the ball through the unsuspecting Knights defense to Salciccia, who banged in the first goal of the match at point-blank range.
“It’s something Seth is very good at. He does that a lot,” Salciccia said. “It wasn’t too planned out.”
Throughout the game, the UCF defense looked lost and disorganized as the Cal men’s soccer team (2-2) smashed four goals — three from the second half — at Edwards Stadium last Friday. In their 4-1 rout, the Bears were firing in all cylinders from defense to offense.
UCF came into the game as a team known for its flair and fluidity, but it was the Bears who wowed the home crowd with their nimble feet. Highlighted by the team’s quick one-two passes, Cal’s offensive drives were peppered in with backheels and fancy dribbles.
“That’s our game right there,” midfielder Alec Sundly said. “We like to play simple yet creative in the final third (of the field).”
At the heart of the Bears’ offense was Salciccia, who finished the match with a goal and assist. Topped with a yellow headband, Salciccia was everywhere on the field for 90 minutes.
“I felt like I had a lot of energy,” Salciccia said. “The whole team had a good amount of energy, so I was able to buzz around the field and cover grounds.”
Despite controlling the ball from the start of the game, the Bears were unable to create many goal opportunities in the first half. Aside from the sneak free kick goal, Cal was unable to test UCF goalkeeper Shawn Doyle.
The Knights made the most out of their limited opportunities, keeping goalkeeper Kevin Peach on edge . In the 13th minute, striker McKauly Tulloch darted through the Cal defensive line, leaving him alone with goalie Kevin Peach, but his shot soared above the goalpost.
Tulloch eventually got his goal in the 60th minute, when he once again ran through the Bears defense to strike a low shot past Peach.
“Their attacking players are going to create something out of nothing,” Cal coach Kevin Grimes said. “They are good dribblers, fast, and creative. They can beat one-on-one.”
The Cal offense helped relieve the pressure off the defense by scoring two goals minutes after the game-tying goal. In the 65th minute, Sundly scored off defender Ryan Neil’s cross from the left wing. Five minutes later, forward Kyle Lunt headed the ball in from Casiple’s cross.
The 3-1 deficit forced all but the center backs to move towards Cal’s half in a vain attempt to tie the match up again. This strategy only left the Bears acres of space in the opposing half to exploit.
In the 82nd minute, Salciccia took advantage of the open area by squeezing a through ball past the fatigued, undermanned UCF defense to midfielder Kyle Marsh, who scored the fourth Cal goal.
“We were breaking them down mentally and physically,” Sundly said. “They were getting tired, and we were exploiting that brilliantly.”
Seung Y. Lee covers men’s soccer. Contact him at [email protected].
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