Saturday, October 14
Los Angeles, CA
6:00 PM
UCLA
vs
Loyola Marymount
Grayson Doody (photo: Ross Turteltaub)
Photo by: Ross Turteltaub
Men's Soccer Opens Homestand by Hosting LMU on Saturday
October 11, 2023 | Men's Soccer
UCLA (5-2-3) vs. LMU (5-1-5)
Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 14 - 6 p.m. PT
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Wallis Annenberg Stadium)
Stream: Pac-12.com / Pac-12 Now app
Talent: Jonah Malkin
Live Stats
UCLA Opens Homestand With Non-Conference Battle Against LMU
After batting a pair of league rivals last weekend in the Pacific Northwest, the No. 24-ranked UCLA men's soccer team (5-2-3) returns home to Wallis Annenberg Stadium for its next four games, starting on Saturday at 6 p.m. PT against LMU (5-1-5). The game will be streamed live through Pac-12.com, and fans can also follow along with live stats on uclalivestats.com and Twitter updates from @UCLAMSoccer.
Quick Hits
UCLA went unbeaten last weekend in a road trip to the Pacific Northwest Pac-12 schools:
UCLA graduate forward Jack Sarkos was tabbed the league's player of the week on Monday
Graduate forward Jack Sarkos has been on a tear to open the season, scoring a team-high eight goals over the first 10 games of the year. His 0.80 goals per game rate rates second in the Pac-12 (percentage points behind OSU's Logan Farrington) and 12th in the country. Notably, he scored seven goals in his first seven games in Westwood, a total which would have led UCLA for the entire season in each of the past three campaigns. He posted five goals in a four-game span to open the season, becoming the first Bruin to do so Milan Iloski in 2019 (Iloski went on to lead the NCAA that season with 1.06 goals per game).
Notable Statistical Rankings
The Bruins head into this week's contests with strong marks, in the Pac-12 and nationally, in the following stats:
UCLA took a 2-0 result at home on Oct. 14 of last year in the most-recent meeting between UCLA and LMU. The Bruins scored a pair of goals in the first half and held the Lions scoreless to earn the team's sixth clean sheet to that point of the season. Silva set up UCLA's 28th minute opener, playing a long cross from the left wing for Jose Contell, who from the right side first-timed a low ball back across the box for Kevin Diaz, who put it home for his third goal of the year. UCLA doubled its lead 10 minutes later, when a Diaz back-heel pass in the box was popped into the net by an LMU defender. Pietro Grassi cleared a ball off the line for the Bruins in the 65th, in what represented LMU's best scoring chance. LMU had entered the tilt on a seven-game unbeaten streak.
All-Time Series Against LMU
UCLA owns a 28-3-1 record all-time against LMU, including a 10-3-1 mark this millennium. The two programs have met often in recent years, with Saturday's tilt marking the fifth matchup between the two programs over the last six seasons. The Bruins' win last year in Westchester represented the first win by the away team in the head-to-head series in the last five meetings. Current Bruins with points against LMU include Tucker Lepley (2 A in 2 GP), Grayson Doody (1 A in 3 GP), Jose Contell (1 A in 3 GP), and Tommy Silva (1 A in 3 GP).
Take Your Shot
The Bruins have tallied double-digit shots in each of their first 10 games to start the season, including a season-high 19 shot attempts on two occasions. This is UCLA's longest streak of 10+ shot games since 2016, when the Bruins closed out the season with 14 consecutive double-digit-shot efforts. The Bruins enter the weekend with the No. 12 shot rate in the country (15.80 per game) as well as the No. 3 shots on goal rate (7.5 per game). UCLA is 5-0-1 this when taking at least 17 shots in a game.
Offensive Breakout
The Bruins have broken out for four goals in three of the last seven games, and four times overall this season in just 10 games. It marks the first time since 2016 that a Bruin squad has potted 4+ goals twice in a three-game span. It also marks the first time since 2016 that UCLA has had a quartet of four-goal games in a single season (the 2016 squad had five such performances). For the season, UCLA is averaging 2.4 goals per game, ranking eighth in the NCAA.
Filling the Net
UCLA has potted multiple goals in each of its last five games, scoring 14 total over that span for an average of 2.8 per game. This is the first time that the Bruins have scored multiple goals in five straight games since Oct. 16-30, 2014. Under fifth-year head coach Ryan Jorden, UCLA is 28-4-5 when scoring multiple goals.
Depth in Westwood
So far this season, all but three of UCLA's 19 outfield players to have seen game action have recorded at least one point. The Bruins' 16 players with a point co-lead the Pac-12, and are the most by a UCLA squad since 2018 (also 16). The Bruins also have six players this season with multiple goals, ranking second in the league to San Diego State, which paces the Pac-12 in both total goals (27) and multi-goal scorers (7).
In The Polls
UCLA checked in at No. 24 in this week's TopDrawerSoccer rankings, and received votes in both the United Soccer Coaches and College Soccer News polls. The Bruins also checked in at No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches Far West Region poll, up from No. 7 last week. UCLA was ranked as high as No. 27 (CSN) in national preseason polls, and was the team with the most votes outside the top-25 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll.
Riding the Momentum
The Bruins enter the weekend on a five-game unbeaten streak, the team's longest of the season and longest overall in the Ryan Jorden era (since 2019). UCLA's last five-game unbeaten streak came in 2014 (six games).
Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 14 - 6 p.m. PT
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Wallis Annenberg Stadium)
Stream: Pac-12.com / Pac-12 Now app
Talent: Jonah Malkin
Live Stats
UCLA Opens Homestand With Non-Conference Battle Against LMU
After batting a pair of league rivals last weekend in the Pacific Northwest, the No. 24-ranked UCLA men's soccer team (5-2-3) returns home to Wallis Annenberg Stadium for its next four games, starting on Saturday at 6 p.m. PT against LMU (5-1-5). The game will be streamed live through Pac-12.com, and fans can also follow along with live stats on uclalivestats.com and Twitter updates from @UCLAMSoccer.
Quick Hits
- UCLA is 5-2-3 to this point of the season, with wins coming against Virginia Tech, Rutgers, UC Irvine, Cal, and Washington
- The Bruins have scored multiple goals in five straight and six of their last seven games
- UCLA is the only Pac-12 school with a quartet of four-goal games this season
- The Bruins rank top-10 nationally in goals per game (2.40, 8th) and shots on goal per game (7.50, 3rd)
- UCLA paces the Pac-12 in shots per game (15.8), shot accuracy (48%), and fewest fouls per game (9.3)
- UCLA has recorded 10+ shots in 10 straight games to start the year, the program's longest streak since 2016
- Jack Sarkos enters the week among the top in the nation in goals per game (0.80, 12th)
- The Bruins' four goals vs. VT on Aug. 24 were their most in a season-opener since 2018
- Sarkos had two goals in that Virginia Tech game, becoming the first player with a brace in his Bruin debut since 2018
- Dating to Sept. 15 of last season, UCLA has allowed one goal or fewer in 19 of its last 25 games
- 19 of UCLA's 24 goals this year have been scored by players who entered the season with zero career goals as Bruins
- Sept. 4's result represented UCLA's first tie in a home game since Feb. 20, 2021 (a span of 27 home contests)
- UCLA is 5-0-2 this season when scoring first, and 0-2-1 when conceding first
UCLA went unbeaten last weekend in a road trip to the Pacific Northwest Pac-12 schools:
- T, 2-2, at Oregon State on Thursday: Jack Sarkos and Ryan Becher scored in quick succession midway through the second half to rescue the Bruins from a two-goal hole and force a 2-2 draw in Corvallis. UCLA found itself behind almost immediately as OSU scored 37 seconds in and made it 2-0 with an early second-half goal. Sarkos got the Bruins back within one with a blast from the right side of the box after an OSU defensive miscue left him all alone with the keeper. Becher popped in a rebound off a corner kick to equalize in the 61st minute. UCLA matched a season high with 19 shots.
- W, 4-2, at No. 20 Washington on Sunday: The Bruins scored three goals late in the second half to pull away and record a 4-2 win at Husky Soccer Stadium. The result snapped a nine-game losing streak for UCLA against Washington. Cam Wilkerson and Sebastian Rincon led the way with three-point games, with both logging a goal and an assist. UCLA scored three unanswered goals in a 12-minute span starting in the 70th minute to put the game away. Washington had a PK stopped in the 79th minute, and scored in the final minute of regulation to get within two.
- It was UCLA's first unbeaten trip to the PNW since 2017
UCLA graduate forward Jack Sarkos was tabbed the league's player of the week on Monday
- Sarkos recorded a team-high four points on the week, and was the lone Bruin on the score sheet in both games
- It was UCLA's second straight weekly honor from the Pac-12, after Ryan Becher took home the award last week
- First time since 2019 that UCLA has won back-to-back Pac-12 Player of the Week awards
- Sarkos' third-career weekly league honor (he earned two as an undergrad at Lehigh)
- Figured in the scoring of both UCLA goals as the Bruins overcame a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 at OSU on Thursday
- Picked up the primary assist on the Bruins' final goal in a 4-2 triumph at Washington
Graduate forward Jack Sarkos has been on a tear to open the season, scoring a team-high eight goals over the first 10 games of the year. His 0.80 goals per game rate rates second in the Pac-12 (percentage points behind OSU's Logan Farrington) and 12th in the country. Notably, he scored seven goals in his first seven games in Westwood, a total which would have led UCLA for the entire season in each of the past three campaigns. He posted five goals in a four-game span to open the season, becoming the first Bruin to do so Milan Iloski in 2019 (Iloski went on to lead the NCAA that season with 1.06 goals per game).
Notable Statistical Rankings
The Bruins head into this week's contests with strong marks, in the Pac-12 and nationally, in the following stats:
- Shots on Goal Per Game - 7.50 (1st in Pac-12 / 3rd in NCAA)
- Shots Per Game - 15.80 (1st in Pac-12 / 12th in NCAA)
- Fewest Fouls Per Game - 9.30 (1st in Pac-12 / 16th in NCAA)
- Points Per Game - 7.60 (2nd in Pac-12 / 7th in NCAA)
- Goals Per Game - 2.40 (2nd in Pac-12 / 8th in NCAA)
- Assists Per Game - 2.80 (3rd in Pac-12 / 7th in NCAA)
- Goal Differential - +10 (3rd in Pac-12 / 24th in NCAA)
UCLA took a 2-0 result at home on Oct. 14 of last year in the most-recent meeting between UCLA and LMU. The Bruins scored a pair of goals in the first half and held the Lions scoreless to earn the team's sixth clean sheet to that point of the season. Silva set up UCLA's 28th minute opener, playing a long cross from the left wing for Jose Contell, who from the right side first-timed a low ball back across the box for Kevin Diaz, who put it home for his third goal of the year. UCLA doubled its lead 10 minutes later, when a Diaz back-heel pass in the box was popped into the net by an LMU defender. Pietro Grassi cleared a ball off the line for the Bruins in the 65th, in what represented LMU's best scoring chance. LMU had entered the tilt on a seven-game unbeaten streak.
All-Time Series Against LMU
UCLA owns a 28-3-1 record all-time against LMU, including a 10-3-1 mark this millennium. The two programs have met often in recent years, with Saturday's tilt marking the fifth matchup between the two programs over the last six seasons. The Bruins' win last year in Westchester represented the first win by the away team in the head-to-head series in the last five meetings. Current Bruins with points against LMU include Tucker Lepley (2 A in 2 GP), Grayson Doody (1 A in 3 GP), Jose Contell (1 A in 3 GP), and Tommy Silva (1 A in 3 GP).
Take Your Shot
The Bruins have tallied double-digit shots in each of their first 10 games to start the season, including a season-high 19 shot attempts on two occasions. This is UCLA's longest streak of 10+ shot games since 2016, when the Bruins closed out the season with 14 consecutive double-digit-shot efforts. The Bruins enter the weekend with the No. 12 shot rate in the country (15.80 per game) as well as the No. 3 shots on goal rate (7.5 per game). UCLA is 5-0-1 this when taking at least 17 shots in a game.
Offensive Breakout
The Bruins have broken out for four goals in three of the last seven games, and four times overall this season in just 10 games. It marks the first time since 2016 that a Bruin squad has potted 4+ goals twice in a three-game span. It also marks the first time since 2016 that UCLA has had a quartet of four-goal games in a single season (the 2016 squad had five such performances). For the season, UCLA is averaging 2.4 goals per game, ranking eighth in the NCAA.
Filling the Net
UCLA has potted multiple goals in each of its last five games, scoring 14 total over that span for an average of 2.8 per game. This is the first time that the Bruins have scored multiple goals in five straight games since Oct. 16-30, 2014. Under fifth-year head coach Ryan Jorden, UCLA is 28-4-5 when scoring multiple goals.
Depth in Westwood
So far this season, all but three of UCLA's 19 outfield players to have seen game action have recorded at least one point. The Bruins' 16 players with a point co-lead the Pac-12, and are the most by a UCLA squad since 2018 (also 16). The Bruins also have six players this season with multiple goals, ranking second in the league to San Diego State, which paces the Pac-12 in both total goals (27) and multi-goal scorers (7).
In The Polls
UCLA checked in at No. 24 in this week's TopDrawerSoccer rankings, and received votes in both the United Soccer Coaches and College Soccer News polls. The Bruins also checked in at No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches Far West Region poll, up from No. 7 last week. UCLA was ranked as high as No. 27 (CSN) in national preseason polls, and was the team with the most votes outside the top-25 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll.
Riding the Momentum
The Bruins enter the weekend on a five-game unbeaten streak, the team's longest of the season and longest overall in the Ryan Jorden era (since 2019). UCLA's last five-game unbeaten streak came in 2014 (six games).
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