University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
Maryland
No. 15 Bruins Head to East Coast for Two Matches
August 31, 2017 | Men's Soccer
No. 15 UCLA at No. 6 Maryland
College Park, Md. (Ludwig Field)
Friday, Sept. 1, 2017 – 4 p.m. PT
TV: Big Ten Network
TV Talent: Dean Linke (play-by-play), Chris Doran (analyst)
Live Stats: UMTerps.com
Tickets - $15 adults / $10 youth and seniors
Follow @UCLAMSoccer
No. 15 UCLA at Georgetown
Washington, D.C. (Shaw Field)
Monday, Sept. 4, 2017 – 9 a.m. PT
Live Stream: Hoyas Live
Live Stats: GUHoyas.com
Tickets - $10 adults / $5 youth and seniors
Follow @UCLAMSoccer
About the Bruins
No. 15 UCLA will continue a three-match road trip to begin the season this weekend with a match on Friday, Sept. 1 at 4 p.m. PT at No. 6 Maryland, followed by facing Georgetown on Labor Day Monday Sept. 4 at 9 a.m. PT. Friday's match will be televised live on the Big Ten Network with Dean Linke and Chris Doran on the call, while Monday's match will be live streamed on Hoyas Live.
Iloski's Hot Start
Senior forward Brian Iloski was named honorable mention to Top Drawer Soccer's Team of the Week after recording his first career brace with the Bruins at San Francisco in a season opening 5-3 win on Saturday. After the first weekend, he is ranked second in the NCAA in shots on goal per game (4.00), third in goals per game (2.00) and fourth in points per game (4.00).
Offensive Surge
UCLA scored five goals in its season opener against San Francisco on Saturday, the most goals scored by the Bruins in a season debut since netting five against Penn State in 2003. UCLA is ranked as the No. 2 scoring offense in the country with its five goals and is also ranked No. 9 in points per game with 12.
New Players Making an Impact
The Bruins had a number of new faces to the team make an impact in their first UCLA appearance. International recruits Eirik Baekkelund and Santiago Herrera each scored in their collegiate debuts, while Wake Forest transfer Alex Knox tallied an assist on Iloski's second goal of the match. In addition, freshman defender Brandon Terwege, freshman midfielder Eric Iloski and junior transfer Anderson Asiedu made their first career starts with UCLA.
Scouting the Terrapins
The sixth-ranked Terrapins are 2-0 to start the 2017 season after earning a 4-2 win at Santa Clara followed by a 2-0 victory against Hofstra on Monday. Maryland was picked as the favorites to win the Big Ten in the preseason poll with juniors Amar Sejdic, Gordon Wild, and Eryk Williamson being named to the Big Ten Players to Watch list. Wild was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch list and was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year last season. Former Bruin Chase Gasper transferred to Maryland over the summer and has started both matches for the Terrapins in 2017.
Scouting the Hoyas
Georgetown has not allowed a goal coming into this weekend and hold a perfect 2-0 record as a result, shutting out American, 2-0, and Coastal Carolina, 3-0. The Hoyas were tabbed fifth in the BIG EAST preseason poll with JT Marcinkowski being named preseason Goalkeeper of the Year and Christopher Lema earning a spot on the Preseason All-BIG EAST squad.
Last Week's Roundup
UCLA earned a 5-3 win in its season opener at San Francisco on Saturday and improved to 3-1-2 over its last six season opening matches. Brian Iloski scored a pair of goals, while Eirik Baekkelund and Santiago Herrera scored their first career goals. The Bruins scored four-straight goals to begin the match and held a 3-0 lead after halftime.
This Week's Rankings
UCLA jumped five spots in the United Soccer Coaches poll (formerly NSCAA) to No. 15 after being No. 21 to begin the season, while also moving up to No. 13 in the Soccer America Top 25. The Bruins made their first appearance in the Top Drawer Soccer Top 25 poll coming in at No. 22.
Holt Named to Preseason All-Pac-12 Team
Defender Erik Holt earned a spot on the Preseason All-Pac-12 team, as voted on by the league's six head coaches. Holt was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection last season as he split time between defensive midfielder and center back and was one of only two players to appear and start in all 20 matches. Holt contributed to all five shutouts last season.
Preseason Coaches Poll
The Bruins were picked second in the Preseason Pac-12 Coaches Poll, snapping UCLA's streak of seven-straight years as the Pac-12's preseason favorite to win the conference. Two-time defending national champions Stanford was picked as the league favorite with 24 points and four of the six first-place votes.
Terwege Earns TDS Freshman Best XI Team
Freshman defender Brandon Terwege was named to the 2017 Preseason Top Drawer Soccer Freshmen Best XI team. Terwege is ranked No. 45 of Top Drawer Soccer's IMG Academy Top 150 and was ranked was the 13th best defender in the by the organization. Terwege attended the U.S. U-20 Men's National Team camp in London, England and was a member of the U.S. U-19 National Team where he recorded two assists in a 2-1 win against El Salvador as a center back. He was also a U-18 USDDA National champion and started in Finals against Vancouver for Dallas FC.
2016 in Review
The Bruins finished last season with a 10-8-2 overall record and a 4-5-1 Pac-12 record, which was good for fourth in the standings. UCLA advanced to the second round in the NCAA Tournament before falling to No. 4 overall seed Louisville in overtime, 2-1. Eight Bruins earned Pac-12 awards, including All-Pac-12 honorees Brian Iloski (2nd team) and Erik Holt (honorable mention). In addition, five UCLA players earned all-academic honors from the conference including Blayne Martinez (2nd team), Iloski (honorable mention) and Matthew Powell (honorable mention). In January, three UCLA players were drafted in the MLS SuperDraft with Abu Danladi going first overall to Minnesota FC, followed by Jackson Yueill picked sixth overall to San Jose and Michael Amick selected in the second round to Portland. Prior to the draft, three Bruins signed MLS Homegrown contracts with Co-Pac-12 Player of the Year Jose Hernandez, Reggie Cannon and Seyi Adekoya moving to the professional ranks.
Fresh Faces
UCLA has assembled another star-studded recruiting class for the 2017 season, as the freshman class is ranked No. 17 in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer. The class is highlighted by three players in Top Drawer Soccer's IMG Academy Top 150 in defender Brandon Terwege (No. 45), midfielder Andrew Paoli (No. 54) and forward Milan Iloski (No. 146). In addition, GK Cameron Douglas from Sacramento Republic FC graduated early to join the 2017 class, while Eric Iloski (Real Salt Lake Academy) joins his brothers Brian and Milan in Westwood. The Bruins have also added a pair of international players in forward Santiago Herrera from Venezuela and Eirik Baekkelund from Norway. Three transfers will join the Bruins in 2017, Alex Knox and Roman Martin from Wake Forest and Anderson Asiedu from Monmouth. Knox was named one of 11 transfers to make the biggest impact on his new club this season by Top Drawer Soccer, while Asiedu was an all-conference performer for Monmouth last season.
National Teams
UCLA has a plethora of national team players on its 2017 squad with various U.S. Youth National Teams experience in their career - Christian Chavez (YNT), Cameron Douglas (U-18), Erik Holt (U-17, U-14), Brian Iloski (U-20, U-18), Milan Iloski (U-19, U-18), Malcolm Jones (U-20, U-18, U-17, U-15, U-14), Robert Knights (U-18), Andrew Paoli (U-18, U-16), Kevin Silva (U-19, U-17) and Brandon Terwege (U-20, U-19). In addition, Tobi Henneke played with the German U-16 National Team.
Happy Anniversary
UCLA is celebrating a pair of anniversaries this season as it is the 15th anniversary of its 2002 national championship and the 20th anniversary of its 1997 national title run.
- On Dec. 15, 2002 in Dallas, Texas, Aaron Lopez would one-time a free kick from Ryan Futagaki in to the back of the net with just 1:02 remaining on the clock for the match's lone goal. Lopez was named the MVP of the College Cup, while teammates Zach Wells, who earned a shutout in the title game, Adolfo Gregorio, Matt Taylor and Scot Thompson received All-Tournament acclaim. First-year head coach Tom Fitzgerald became just the second coach in NCAA soccer history to win a Division I national title in his first season with the program.
- Facing Virginia in their home state, the Bruins picked up their third NCAA national championship on Dec. 14, 1997. Despite several key injuries throughout the season and the postseason run, head coach Sigi Schmid devised a more defensive, counterattacking style that frustrated the Cavaliers the entire game. In the 80th minute UCLA capitalized on an error as Martin Bruno found Offensive MVP Seth George who beat the keeper one-on-one for the go-ahead score. George would then score two minutes later to secure the title for the Bruins.
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 return to Westwood on Monday, Sept. 11 for their home opener at Drake Stadium as they host UNLV beginning at 7 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network and can be heard on UCLABruins.com with Nick Koop on the call.
