LOS ANGELES – UCLA redshirt senior defender Matthew Powell has been named to the 2019 Pac-12 Men's Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team, it was revealed by the league office on Wednesday morning.
Powell was one of just three defenders to make the conference's preseason Best XI. The Castro Valley, Calif. native was an All-Pac-12 second team choice in 2018 after receiving an all-conference honorable mention as a sophomore in 2017.
A mainstay of the defensive corps last year, Powell was one of just three Bruins to start all 19 of the team's games. Spending time at both center back and holding mid, Powell played the full 90 in all but three games and ended the year with 1,670 minutes of action, third-most on the team.
In 54 career games, Powell has recorded nine points (four goals, one assist). His lone goal in the 2018 season served as the game-winner in a 2-1 win over Omaha.
UCLA, which recorded a 3-0 exhibition win over Westmont on Tuesday night, completes its preseason schedule with an exhibition contest at Omaha on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The Bruins open the regular season with the Adidas/IU Credit Union Classic in Bloomington, Ind., facing Northwestern on Friday, Aug. 30 at 2:00 p.m. and Indiana on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 5:00 p.m. UCLA hosts defending national champion Maryland on Friday, Sept. 6 in the home opener at Wallis Annenberg Stadium.
2019 Pac-12 Men's Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team
| Name | Class | Pos. | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Thomas | R-So. | GK | STAN |
| Tanner Beason | R-Sr. | D | STAN |
| Matthew Powell | R-Sr. | D | UCLA |
| Ethan Bartlow | So. | D | WASH |
| Blake Bodily | Jr. | M | WASH |
| Sofiane Djeffal | So. | M | OSU |
| Pablo Pelaez | R-Sr. | M | SDSU |
| Dylan Teves | So. | M | WASH |
| Logan Panchot | Jr. | M/D | STAN |
| Zach Ryan | R-So. | F | STAN |
| Gloire Amanda | So. | F | OSU |