The Bruins Will Host a Pair of Matches to Open Pac-12 Play
Both matches this week will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
UCLA continues a three-game homestand this week as they open Pac-12 play against California on Thursday at 8 p.m., followed by Stanford on Sunday at 5 p.m.
Both matches will be televised live on the Pac-12 Networks. The Bruins are hosting a pair of doubleheaders this weekend with the women’s soccer team as the Bruin women play Oregon at 5 p.m. on Thursday and Oregon State at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Senior forward Brian Iloski has five goals in six matches to begin the season and is ranked top-25 in the NCAA in game-winning goals (4th), goals per game (13th) and points per game (22nd).
UCLA has scored 10 goals over its first six games, good for the 49th ranked scoring offense in the country as they average 1.67 goals per match. UCLA scored five goals in its season opener against San Francisco, the most goals scored by the Bruins in a season debut since netting five against Penn State in 2003.
The Bruins have had six players start in each of the first six matches this season. Leading goal scorer Brian Iloski, captain and preseason All-Pac-12 selection Erik Holt, goalkeeper Kevin Silva, forward Santiago Herrera, junior Joab Santoyo, and junior transfer Anderson Asiedu. UCLA has had 16 different players start at least one match so far this season.
New Players Making an Impact
The Bruins have had a number of new faces to the team make an impact already in their first seasons in Westwood. International recruits Eirik Baekkelund and Santiago Herrera each scored in their collegiate debuts against San Francisco, while Wake Forest transfer Alex Knox tallied an assist in the 5-3 victory.
Freshman midfielder Eric Iloski recorded his first career assist in a 2-1 win against CSUN. Freshman defender Brandon Terwege, freshman forward Milan Iloski, and junior transfer Anderson Asiedu made their first career starts with UCLA this season, while freshman midfielder Andrew Paoli and sophomore transfer Roman Martin have made their first career caps for the Bruins.
California comes into the match receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll with a 5-2-0 record and is riding a four-game winning streak after earning a 3-2 victory against Santa Clara on Friday. Preseason All-Pac-12 selection Jose Carerra-Garcia leads the Cal offense with nine points, including two goals, while Shinya Kadono and Paul Salcedo-Borrego are tied with a team-best three goals each. Drake Callender has started six of the seven matches in net this season and holds a 1.14 goals-against average. He also ranks 29th in the country in saves per game.
The two-time defending national champions are the 11th-ranked team in the country heading into the opening weekend of Pac-12 play after falling to Saint Louis on the road, 2-0. Foster Langsdorf leads the way with six goals, good for 10th in the NCAA, while Drew Skundrich has two game-winning goals, ranked 30th in the country.
Last Time Against California and Stanford
The Bruins went 1-1 against the Golden Bears last season, including winning a 4-3 match on the road where Blayne Martinez scored the go-ahead goal with less than five seconds in regulation. Stanford won both games against UCLA in 2016 that included a 3-2 victory at Drake Stadium.
50 Years of UCLA Men’s Soccer
UCLA men’s soccer enters its 50th season as an NCAA sport with an all-time record of 758-202-106 (.764). Under head coach Dennis Storer, UCLA went 12-1-1 in its first season associated with the NCAA in 1967, tallying an 5-0 win over Cal Poly Pomona in its first game, along with a 8-1 win over USC during an 11-match winning streak. UCLA earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance just one year later and collected its first postseason victory in 1970. Since then, the Bruins have made a total of 44 appearances in the NCAA tournament, including 34 consecutive trips dating back to 1983. UCLA has advanced to nine NCAA championship games and has been crowned national champion four times (1985, 1990, 1997 and 2002).
Looking Ahead
The Bruins will hit the road for a two-game swing through the Pacific Northwest as they continue Pac-12 play at Oregon State on Thursday at 4 p.m. PT followed by playing Washington on Sunday at 5 p.m. PT. Both matches will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
Photo Credit: UCLA Bruins
