LOS ANGELES – The No. 10 UCLA men's soccer team earned their third consecutive result against a ranked opponent on Friday night, taking down No. 8 Portland 2-0 at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. Freshman Tamir Ratoviz and Shakir Nixon provided the goals for the Bruins.
The Bruins improve to 2-0-1 on the season, while Portland drops to 1-1-0. Jose Contell led all Bruins with three shots, while keeper Sam Joseph recorded his second clean sheet in net, and tallied three saves.
With the win, UCLA earned their first win over a top 10 team since the Bruins took down No. 1 Oregon State 3-2 back in 2021.
Ratoviz tallied his first collegiate goal and opened the scoring in the 54th minute from a headed-down cross by Graduate Sveinn Hauksson and Nixon. Both Hauksson and Nixon recorded their first career collegiate assists as a result of Ratoviz's goal.
Nixon scored in the 76th minute from on top of the penalty box which and floated over the Portland goalkeeper to put the Bruins up 2-0. After scoring a goal earlier in the night Ratoviz also assisted Nixon on the goal.
Junior Sam Joseph, Senior Pietro Grassi, and Graduate Youri Senden all played a major role in keeping a clean sheet for the Bruins on Friday night. UCLA is yet to concede a goal this season, a total of 270 minutes.
The Bruins faced an early wave of attacks which started in the third minute of the match forced Joseph to make a diving save down to his right denying the attempt from the Pilots striker Alexander Waggoner to keep the match even. The Bruins also faced four corners within the first 10 minutes of the match.
Graduate defender Pablo Greenlee made a crucial sliding tackle to break up a counter attack in the 13th minute.
Ratoviz denied a dangerous counter attack from Portland winger Diego Rosas in the 41st minute, keeping the game scoreless as the sides headed into the halftime break. The Bruins would grab two goals in the second half to earn their second win of the season.
Up Next: UCLA continues its opening homestand by welcoming Cal State Fullerton to Wallis Annenberg stadium on Sept. 5 at 7pm. The match will also be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
Game Notes:
The Bruins improve to 2-0-1 on the season, while Portland drops to 1-1-0. Jose Contell led all Bruins with three shots, while keeper Sam Joseph recorded his second clean sheet in net, and tallied three saves.
With the win, UCLA earned their first win over a top 10 team since the Bruins took down No. 1 Oregon State 3-2 back in 2021.
Ratoviz tallied his first collegiate goal and opened the scoring in the 54th minute from a headed-down cross by Graduate Sveinn Hauksson and Nixon. Both Hauksson and Nixon recorded their first career collegiate assists as a result of Ratoviz's goal.
THE FRESHMAN FOR HIS FIRST CAREER GOAL!
— UCLA Men's Soccer (@UCLAMSoccer) August 31, 2024
Tamir Ratoviz opens the scoring for the Bruins.
??: B1G+#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/f2A8eo1i05
Nixon scored in the 76th minute from on top of the penalty box which and floated over the Portland goalkeeper to put the Bruins up 2-0. After scoring a goal earlier in the night Ratoviz also assisted Nixon on the goal.
FLIPPING OUT, SHAKIR NIXON YOU BEAUTY
— UCLA Men's Soccer (@UCLAMSoccer) August 31, 2024
Bruins lead 2-0 in the 76th minute.#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/zcTlvivJZJ
Junior Sam Joseph, Senior Pietro Grassi, and Graduate Youri Senden all played a major role in keeping a clean sheet for the Bruins on Friday night. UCLA is yet to concede a goal this season, a total of 270 minutes.
The Bruins faced an early wave of attacks which started in the third minute of the match forced Joseph to make a diving save down to his right denying the attempt from the Pilots striker Alexander Waggoner to keep the match even. The Bruins also faced four corners within the first 10 minutes of the match.
Graduate defender Pablo Greenlee made a crucial sliding tackle to break up a counter attack in the 13th minute.
Ratoviz denied a dangerous counter attack from Portland winger Diego Rosas in the 41st minute, keeping the game scoreless as the sides headed into the halftime break. The Bruins would grab two goals in the second half to earn their second win of the season.
Up Next: UCLA continues its opening homestand by welcoming Cal State Fullerton to Wallis Annenberg stadium on Sept. 5 at 7pm. The match will also be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
Game Notes:
- Both Tamir Ratoviz and Shakir Nixon tallied their first collegiate goals
- Ratoviz, Nixon, and Hauksson all recorded their first collegiate assists
- Pietro Grassi earned his 50th career start on Friday night
- The Bruins have gone 270 minutes without conceding a goal
- UCLA is now 6-2-2 in their last 10 games against top 10 opponents
- With the win, UCLA earned their first win over a top 10 team since the Bruins took down No. 1 Oregon State 3-2 back in 2021