UCLA Travels South for Season Finale
November 13, 2015 | Men's Soccer
#16 UCLA at San Diego State
SDSU Sports Deck
Saturday, Nov. 14 - 7:00 pm PT
Live Stats - www.GoAztecs.com
Twitter - @UCLAMSoccer | #UCLAvsSDSU
UCLA Plays Season Finale Down South
The No. 16 UCLA Bruins will play their final regular season match of the season on Saturday, November 14 at San Diego State. The Bruins will carry their three-game win streak into the Pac-12 contest which is set to kick off at 7:00pm PT. The game will not be televised or broadcast over radio, so fans should follow along with live stats at GoAztecs.com.
In The Rankings
UCLA rises for the third-straight week in the RPI and the NSCAA Coaches' Poll, moving to No. 14 in the RPI and No. 16 in the coaches' poll. In the Top Drawer Soccer poll, UCLA moves up to No. 19 overall. San Diego State is unranked in all major polls. In the Pac-12 UCLA moves up to second place behind Stanford who already claimed its second-straight conference title.
Scouting the Aztecs
The San Diego State Aztecs enter the weekend with an overall record of 7-8-3 and 1-7-1 in the Pac-12 Conference. The Aztecs have won just once in their last six matches, going 1-4-1. At home this season San Diego State is 5-3-2 in 10 previous matches. Offensively, Rene Reyes leads the way with a team-high 15 points on six goals and three assists. Reyes ranks T-7th in the conference in goals and 9th in total points. In net, Adam Allmaras has earned a team-high 15 starts, posting a record of 5-7-3 with a 1.39 GAA. Allmaras' 52 saves rank second most in the Pac-12.
UCLA holds a 39-4-11 all-time record against San Diego State and have not lost to the Aztecs in 16 consecutive matches, including a 4-0 shutout earlier this season. Over that stretch, the Bruins are 12-0-4 and are currently riding an 11-game win streak. Since San Diego State joined the Pac-12 in 2005, the Bruins are 14-1-6 in 21 contests. The last loss for UCLA to the Aztecs came on October 6, 2007.
UCLA Continues Win-Streak
Last weekend, UCLA defeated both Oregon State and Washington to extend the team's win-streak to three games entering the final weekend. On Friday against the Beavers, UCLA dominated from start-to-finsh, posting a 4-1 victory. Seyi Adekoya, Larry Ndjock, Jordan Vale and Jackson Yueill all scored in the win. The Bruins out-shot Oregon State 23-4, including 15-0 in the first half.
On Sunday against the Huskies, the Bruins fell behind by a goal early in the first half. However, UCLA would respond to take down Washington, 2-1. Jackson Yueill scored both goals for the Bruins, including a wonderful bending free-kick around the Husky wall. The Bruins benefited from an early red card to a Washington defender and left no doubt, earning the important conference victory.
Yueill Named Pac-12 Player of the Week
Freshman midfielder Jackson Yueill was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week for his performance against Oregon State and Washington last weekend. Yueill's award comes on the heels of Abu Danladi's Pac-12 Player of the Week nod last week. Yueill netted a trio of goals this weekend to help lead the Bruins to back-to-back victories. Yueill now has seven goals and five assists (19 points) on the season, ranking third on the team in goals, second in assists and fourth in points. Among all Pac-12 players, Yueill ranks within the top-seven in goals, assists and points.
Hernandez Closing In On Freshmen Records
Midfielder Jose Hernandez is having a phenomenal freshman campaign and is closing in on two freshmen records. The most goals a freshman has ever scored in a single season for UCLA is 12, set by David Estrada in 2006. Hernandez has 11 goals so far, with one regular season game and the possiblity of postseason play remaining. The UCLA freshmen record for points is 32, set by Joe-Max Moore in 1990. Hernandez currently sits six points back at 26.
Seyi and Jose Lead the Way
UCLA sophomore striker Seyi Adekoya and freshman midfielder Jose Hernandez have served as the catalysts for the UCLA offense this season. Hernandez is second in goals (11) and first in points (26), while Adekoya is first in goals (12) and second in points (25) among Pac-12 Conference players. Among all Division I collegiate players, Adekoya ranks T-11th in goals, while Hernandez ranks T-18th in points. Among all Division I collegiate freshmen players, Hernandez ranks 4th in goals and T-4th in points.
Abu Danladi is Too Hot to Touch
Sophomore striker Abu Danladi has been red hot for UCLA over the past seven games. In that span, Danladi has racked up five goals and six assists (16 points), and had a streak of six-straight games with a goal or an assist come to an end on Sunday. Overall, the Ghanaian forward is T-1st in the conference with 10 assists and ranks T-7th in the nation in that category.
UCLA Offense Among Nation's Elite
The UCLA offense has been among the best in the entire nation in 2015. The Bruins enter the weekend with 45 goals through the first 18 games of the season, already besting their season total of 39 goals in 24 games last season. UCLA is currently one of only three schools (Butler & Winthrop) to have two double-digit goal scorers and one of only two schools (Akron) with three 20+ point scorers. UCLA currently leads the Pac-12 in total goals and goals per game (2.50). Among all Division I collegiate soccer teams, the Bruins rank 2nd in goals per game, 2nd in total goals and 3rd in points per game (7.00).
Goals Coming In Bunches
UCLA has had several big-goal outputs this season, including a, 6-0, win over Cal on October 19. The Bruins have scored four goals or more in six matches this season, the most 4+ goal outputs since 2003, when the Bruins totaled the same number.
Youth Reigns Supreme
For UCLA this season, the youth has carried the scoring load through 18 matches. Of the Bruins' 45 goals, 38 have been scored by freshmen or sophomores. Additionally, the freshmen and sophomores have racked up 101 of the team's 128 points, accounting for 79 percent of the team's scoring output. The complete scoring breakdown by class can be found below.
| Class | Goals | Assists | Points |
| Freshman | 20 | 11 | 51 |
| Sophomore | 18 | 14 | 50 |
| Junior | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Senior | 5 | 5 | 15 |
Second Half/Overtime Adjustments
UCLA has been a completely different team in the second half and overtime so far this season. 32 of the team's 45 goals have been scored in the second half or overtime and 172 of their 276 shots have come in the second half or overtime. The shot differential in the second half and overtime also favors UCLA, 172-91, over opponents.
Different Match, Different Lineup
In 18 matches this season, the Bruins have trotted out 16 different starting lineups. Games five and six vs. Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara and games 13 and 14 vs. Cal and at Stanford are the only occurances where UCLA used the same lineup twice. Additionally, 20 different players have earned a starting nod at some point this season.
What Could Lie Ahead...
The Bruins have put themselves in a position to potentially earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament this season. If UCLA earns a bid, it will mark the 33rd consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 43rd all-time in school history. In 111 NCAA Tournament games, UCLA is 72-39 and has claimed four national titles, reached nine NCAA finals and made 14 College Cup appearances. Last season, UCLA advanced all the way to the College Cup Final, where they fell in PKs to Virginia.
2014 Tournament Results
2nd Round - (W) UCLA 2, San Diego 1 (OT)
3rd Round - (W) UCLA 3, California 2
Quarterfinals - (W) UCLA 3, North Carolina 3 (PKs)
Semifinals - (W) UCLA 3, Providence 2 (2OT)
Final - (L) Virginia 0, UCLA 0 (PKs)
