Thursday, October 25
Seattle, WA
8:00 PM

UCLA

at

Washington

PaolivsOSU1
Andrew Paoli started and put in solid performances against Washington and Oregon State earlier this year (photo: Scott Chandler)
Photo by: Scott Chandler

UCLA Heads to Pacific Northwest for Critical Pac-12 Games

October 24, 2018 | Men's Soccer

GAME INFORMATION
No. 23 UCLA (9-4-0, 4-1-0) vs. Washington (8-7-0, 3-4-0)
Date/Time: Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018 – 8:00 p.m. PT
Location: Seattle, Wash. (Husky Soccer Stadium)
TV/Stream: Pac-12 Networks
Live Stats: UCLABruins.com
Twitter Updates: @UCLAMSoccer

No. 23 UCLA (9-4-0, 4-1-0) vs. Oregon State (8-4-3, 4-2-1)
Date/Time: Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018 – 2:00 p.m. PT
Location: Corvallis, Ore. (Lorenz Field)
TV/Stream: Pac-12 Networks
Live Stats: UCLABruins.com
Twitter Updates: @UCLAMSoccer

BRUINS START STRETCH RUN WITH PACIFIC NORTHWEST TRIP
The UCLA men's soccer team, winners of a season-best four straight and five of its last six, returns to Pac-12 play this week with a trip to the Pacific Northwest for road contests at Washington and Oregon State. Both games will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks, while fans can also follow along with live stats on UCLABruins.com and Twitter updates at @UCLAMSoccer. The Bruins enter the week in third place in the Pac-12 with 12 points. However, UCLA has the best points percentage of any team in the league, and has two games in hand on both teams above them in the standings (Stanford - 16 points, Oregon - 13 points). UCLA has been the first or second-place finisher in the Pac-12 in 11 of the last 14 seasons.

WEEK IN REVIEW
In the team's conference bye week, UCLA faced off against LMU last Saturday at Wallis Annenberg Stadium and came away with a 4-1 victory. The Bruins dominated the contest from start to finish, taking a 2-0 lead in the first half and ending the game with a 17-4 shots advantage, including an 11-2 edge in shots on frame. Joab Santoyo opened the scoring in the fifth minute with his first goal of the year, then Matt Hundley scored in the 32nd for the game-winner. Mohammed Kamara returned to the scoring sheet in the 54th minute, then Hundley put the game out of reach with a free kick goal in the 60th. 

STARTING STRONG
The Bruins have routinely been the better team in the opening 45 minutes this season, holding the opposition scoreless in the first half in 11 of 13 games this season. The Bruins have scored first in 10 of their 13 games, going 8-2 in those contests. 

IN THE RANKINGS
This week, UCLA appeared as high as No. 23 (Soccer America) in the national rankings. The Bruins were also tabbed No. 27 by College Soccer News and were the top team team in the "others considered" section of the Top Drawer Soccer list. Both of this week's opponents received votes in one of the four major national polls, Washington in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and Oregon State in the College Soccer News rankings.
 
RPI REPORT
In the fifth week of public RPI rankings, UCLA was ranked No. 18, second-best among Pac-12 schools and fifth among schools in the western half of the country. RPI is the key metric used to determine at-large selections into the NCAA Tournament. Both this week's opponents have strong RPIs, as Oregon State is at No. 30 and Washington is at No. 40. 

HUNDLEY MAKES HISTORY VS. LMU
Freshman midfielder Matt Hundley scored two goals and added an assist in last week's rout of the Lions. Coupled with his five-point debut performance against Coastal Carolina, Hundey is now the first Bruin player since 2003 to log multiple five-point games in a season (last: current assistant coach Matt Taylor). For his efforts, he was named an honorable mention on Top Drawer Soccer's Team of the Week and was also nominated for UCLA Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week. 

AMAYA RECALLED TO US U-20 MEN's NATIONAL TEAM
UCLA freshman midfeidler Frankie Amaya was called up this week to the U.S. U-20 National Team by head coach Tab Ramos. He will join the 20-man roster for the upcoming U-20 CONCACAF Championship at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. The U.S. is the top seeded squad in the tourney, which is scheduled to run Nov. 1-21. This is the third appearance with the U20 MNT for Amaya. He made his debut earlier this year, participating in a two-week training camp in Spain in March and potting a goal against France while competing against Atletico Madrid's U-21 team. He was also recalled by Ramos for a three-game tournament at the IMG Academy in September. Hampered by an early season injury, Amaya has started eight of the last nine games for UCLA, totaling two goals and an assist. 

SIX BRUINS NAMED TO TOP DRAWER'S MIDSEASON TOP-100 PLAYER RANKINGS
Amateur soccer outlet Top Drawer Soccer published its men's college top-100 player rankings last week, and over half of UCLA's Starting XI was included. Holt was named No. 53 on the upperclassmen list, the exact same spot he was named to in the preseason rankings. Kamara made his debut at No. 93 on the upperclassmen list. A quartet of Bruins were named to the freshmen top-100: Frankie Amaya (No. 9), Justin Garces (No. 14), Matt Hundley (No. 36), and AJ Vasquez (No. 50). UCLA had the second-most honorees on the freshmen list and twice as many as any other Pac-12 school. 

WINNING THE SHOTS BATTLE
Thanks in part to a strong possession game, UCLA has consistently won the shots battle against its opponents this year. The Bruins outshot their opponent in the first seven games of the year, have been outshot in just three contests overall, and for the season have a 168-100 edge in total shots, which translates to an advantage of over five shots per game (12.9 to 7.7). The Bruins have been even better at putting their shots on frame, as their 6.15 SOG per game rate is best in the Pac-12 and 41st nationally. UCLA opponents are mustering just 3.0 shots on goal per game, including four contests with one SOG or fewer. 

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE
UCLA has an increased amount of depth on the roster this year, evidenced by the 11 different players to score a goal so far this year, with the team's nine game-winners spread among six players. No other Pac-12 team has more goalscorers than UCLA's 11. 

DEFENSE FIRST MENTALITY
The Bruins allowed just one score to LMU last week, meaning UCLA has held its opponents to one goal or fewer in all but three contests this year. That figure includes five shutouts, which ranks second in the Pac-12 and 45th nationally. With its next shutout, UCLA would have its most single-season clean sheet since 2014 (eight). One of the keys to UCLA's defensive excellence has been the health of the back line. In contrast to an injury-ravaged forwards corps, the Bruins' starting back three of Brandon Terwege, Matthew Powell, and AJ Vasquez have missed just two man-games combined. 

HUNDLEY UNFAZED IN FRESHMAN SEASON
In his debut season, Matt Hundley leads the team and is first among Pac-12 freshmen with 16 points so far this year, while also pacing the league in assists (six). He is fourth nationally in scoring among freshmen, and only 10 frosh players have more goals than his five. Hundley has a point in five of his last eight games despite coming off the bench in half those contests. With five points, Hundley led UCLA to a 4-0 win at Coastal Carolina on opening day. That two goal, one assist effort made him just the third Bruin in the last five years to record five points in a game, the first to do so on Opening Day since current assistant coach Matt Taylor had a trick in 2003, and the only Bruin frosh this millenium with five points on Opening Day. 

KAMARA COMES BACK
Junior forward Mohammed Kamara had a torrid start to the season, scoring four goals in his first four games and making No. 2 on the Sportscenter Top-10 with his debut goal. Hampered by injuries, he was limited to just two of UCLA's last six games before last Saturday's contest against LMU. Coming off the bench against the Lions, Kamara looked no worse for wear, first picking a ball off in the offensive third and setting up Hundley for the game-winning goal in the 32nd minute and then putting the game on ice with an off-foot near-post slotted shot in the 54th. For the season, he is second in the Pac-12 in goals per game (0.56) and first in shots per game (3.44). Kamara transfered to UCLA after leading Tyler Junior College to back-to-back national championships, potting 70 goals in 44 games for his JC career and taking home NJCAA National Player of the Year honors in 2017.

MISSED YOU, MILAN
Sophomore forward Milan Iloski has had quite the impact for UCLA since making his return to the lineup, scoring a pair of goals - both game-winners - in seven games. His 3.33 shots per game rank second in the league, one-hundreth of a point behind Kamara. Despite playing in just seven games this year, he is one goal away from matching his freshman season total of three. UCLA is 6-1 all-time when he records a point (4-1 last season, 2-0 this year). He missed the first six games of the season after undergoing an appendectomy. 

LAST TIME OUT
UCLA defeated Oregon State and Washington by twin scores of 1-0 when the league duo visited Walis Annberg Stadium earlier this year. Milan Iloski provided the difference-maker against the Huskies, nailing a 23rd minute free kick for the game's lone goal, though UCLA's Andrew Paoli had a goal wiped off on a questionable offside call. Justin Garces made four saves for the shutout. UCLA dominated the Beavers, outshooting them 21-5, but had to wait until the 79th minute for a breakthrough goal, as Kike Poleo played a nice give-and-go with Matt Hundley at the top of the box before hitting a shot off the left post and in. The Bruins held OSU without a shot on goal for the entire game, the first time UCLA held an opponent without a SOG since Oct. 12, 2015. 

GARCES HOLDS IT DOWN BETWEEN THE PIPES
Freshman keeper Justin Garces has been in net the last six games for UCLA after he and senior Cole Martinez more-or-less split games over the season's first month. Among qualifying Pac-12 keepers, Garces has the fewest goals allowed (nine), the second-best goals-against average (0.99), and the third-best save percentage (.679).

BRUINS BRING IN NATION'S TOP RECRUITING CLASS
Featuring four of the top-20 ranked academy players in the country, UCLA's 2018 recruiting class was deemed the best in the country by Top Drawer Soccer. This is the seventh time under Salcedo that UCLA has brought in the top class in the nation. Standouts include 2017 NJCAA National Player of the Year Mohammed Kamara (Tyler JC) and freshmen Frankie Amaya (No. 6 national prospect / Pateadores Academy), Justin Garces (No. 16 prospect / Atlanta United Academy), Matt Hundley (No. 18 prospect / Colorado Rapids Academy), and AJ Vasquez (No. 19 prospect / FC Golden State Academy), all of whom have national team experience. Other heralded newcomers include freshman midfielder Cody Sundquist, Santa Monica City College transfer Carlos Rincon, freshman defender Paul Caspar, and Division I transfers Alexis Triadis (Hartford) and Aristides Costeas (St. John's). 

HOLT RECEIVES PLENTY OF PRESEASON RECOGNITION
One of UCLA's top returners, senior defender Erik Holt received plenty of preseason publicity ahead of his last season in Westwood. Chiefly, he was named to the MAC Hermann Award Watch List. The MAC Hermann Trophy is awarded annually to the most outstanding male and female players of the year. Past Bruin winners include Leo Stolz (2014), Sasha Victorine (1999), and Brad Friedel (1992). In addition, Holt was selected to the College Soccer News Preseason All-America Third Team. This season, he is second on the team and ninth in the Pac-12 with three assists. He entered the year with two career assists. 

FORMER BRUIN DEFENDER CANNON RECALLED TO USMNT, EARNS FIRST CAP
FC Dallas right back Reggie Cannon, who spent the 2016 season at UCLA, received a call-up to the US Men's National Team for the Kickoff Series against Peru and Colombia. He drew into the starting lineup against Peru for his first senior cap. This is Cannon's first appearance with the senior national team after previously playing on the U-17 and U-19 squads. The Grapevine, Tex. Native was a standout for UCLA as a freshman in 2016, starting in all 20 matches and making the College Soccer News All-Freshman Third Team. He leads FC Dallas in both starts (30) and minutes (2,651) this season.

WALLIS ANNENBERG STADIUM OPENS FOR 2018 SEASON
After playing home games at Drake Stadium from 2000-17, the UCLA soccer teams have moved into a new home, Wallis Annenberg Stadium. The stadium, which seats 2,145, is located at the previously-named North Athletic Field, where UCLA played selected home games from 1967-99. The stadium was made possible thanks to a $5 million lead gift from the Annenberg Foundation. The just-completed first phase of the stadium project includes grandstands and a press box on the west side, a Daktronics LED video board and Musco Sports lighting. Future phases of the stadium project may include expanded seating, a training room, student-athlete locker room, coaches' locker rooms, meeting spaces, ticketing space, and a new press box.

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