
Redshirt junior center back Matthew Powell of the UCLA men's soccer team was named the UCLA/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week for Oct. 1-7.
Powell was a central figure for a Bruin defense that held its opponents goalless in a pair of 1-0 home victories last week. The Castro Valley, Calif. native played all 90 minutes against both Washington and Oregon State, helping the team to shutouts in both contests. The back-to-back clean sheets moved UCLA's record to 7-4 overall and 3-1 in Pac-12 play, tied atop the conference table with Stanford at nine points.
The Huskies managed a respectable 12 shots overall on Thursday night, but a strong UCLA defensive effort ensured that the majority of those chances came from non-dangerous areas. The Bruins upped the ante against Oregon State on Sunday, holding the Beavers without a shot on goal for the entirety of the game, the first time UCLA held its opponent without a SOG since the 2015 season.
This is Powell's first career UCLA/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week award and UCLA men's soccer's second honor of the year after freshman midfielder Matt Hundley won the award on Aug. 28 following a five-point performance in the Bruins' 4-0 win over Coastal Carolina on Opening Day.
Also nominated: Zana Muno, W. Volleyball; Warren Snyder, M. Water Polo; Viviana Villacorta, W. Soccer