UCLA (2-1-2) at No. 14 Northwestern (5-1-0)
Date/Time: Friday, Sept. 13, 7 p.m. CT/5 p.m. PT
Location: Evanston, Illi. (Martin Stadium)
TV/Stream: Big Ten Plus
Live Stats: UCLAlivestats.com
UCLA Hits The Road To Begin Big Ten Play
The UCLA men's soccer hits the road for the first time in 2024, and will play No. 14 Northwestern to begin their road schedule. The game will also be the Bruins' first conference matchup as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The No. 14 Wildcats head into Friday's game fresh off a 1-0 win over Marquette.
Tough Slate to Start
UCLA has opened the season with four of their first five games coming against teams ranked in the top 25 at the time of the game. In those games UCLA is undefeated at 2-0-2, and have picked up wins over No. 11 LMU and No. 8 Portland, while drawing with No. 18 James Madison and No. 3 Denver.
The road doesn't get any easier for the Bruins with UCLA set to take on No. 14 Northwestern and No. 8 Wisconsin. With those two ranked games the Bruins will have played six of their first seven games against ranked teams.
Last Time Out Against Northwestern
UCLA and Northwestern have met once before, in 2019. The Bruins won the only matchup between the two schools 1-0 in a neutral site game hosted by Indiana. The game was also head coach Ryan Jorden's first win in charge of the UCLA men's soccer program.
Stout Defense
UCLA had not conceded a goal until the fourth game of the season to begin the 2024 season. Over the course of four games, the Bruins have limited No. 11 LMU, No. 18 JMU, No. 8 Portland, Cal State Fullerton, and No. 3 Denver to a combined three goals and to a combined 12 shots on goal, while keepers Sam Joseph and Wyatt Nelson have recorded a combined four clean sheets.
Bruins in the NCAA Rankings
Big Time Matchup
UCLA is set for a second game in their last three against top-15 opposition when they take on No. 14 Northwestern. In their last 10 games against teams ranked inside the top 15, UCLA holds a 3-4-3 record. The Bruins last three wins against top 15 teams have come against No. 11 LMU and No. 8 Portland in 2024, as well as No. 12 Clemson in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2022.
There's A First For Everything
In UCLA's 2-0 win over No. 8 Portland, three Bruins tallied their first collegiate points. Graduate forward Sveinn Hauksson tallied his first career assist, while freshman Shakir Nixon and Tamir Ratoviz both scored their first collegiate goals, and provided their first collegiate assists.
The same thing happened to Nikolai Rojel on Thursday against Cal State Fullerton. The transfer tallied his first career goal as a Bruin with a well-taken goal from just outside the box, pulling the Bruins within a goal at the time. Additionally, for UCLA, freshman Allan Legaspi, sophomore Jacob Diaz, and sophomore Sam Scott all made their collegiate debuts.
B1G Players of the Week
UCLA junior goalkeeper Sam Joseph and freshman defender Shakir Nixon have been named the Big Ten Men's Soccer Goalkeeper of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week (Aug. 27 - Sept. 3), becoming the first Bruin men's soccer players ever to win a weekly award in the Big Ten Conference.
Sam Joseph (San Diego, Calif.) earns his first career conference accolades for his display in goal for the Bruins in the 2-0 win over No. 8 Portland. The junior earned his second start of the campaign and produced three top-notch saves to secure the clean sheet. Playing all 90 minutes for the second time this season, Joseph recorded his second consecutive shutout, after also not conceding a goal in UCLA's 2-0 win over No. 11 LMU to open the season.
Shakir Nixon (Cerritos, Calif.) tallied his first three collegiate points on Friday night over 52 minutes of action off the bench, helping No. 10 UCLA take down No. 8 Portland 2-0. The freshman scored the second goal for the Bruins in the win over the Pilots in the 76th minute of the match, putting UCLA up 2-0. Nixon also recorded the first assist of his collegiate career on the Bruins' first goal, setting up fellow freshman Tamir Ratoviz in the 54th minute, which put UCLA up at the time 1-0.
Bruin Debuts
Eight Bruins made either their collegiate debut or UCLA debut in the season opener against No. 11 LMU. Freshman Shakir Nixon and Tamir Ratoviz, and international graduate student Sveinn Hauksson all made their NCAA debuts. Additionally, Caceres, Nico Cavallo, Oshea Foster, Nikolai Rojel, and Youri Senden all made their UCLA debuts.
UCLA Draws With No. 3 Denver
The No. 6 UCLA men's soccer team earned their fourth shutout in five games to begin the season, drawing 0-0 with No. 3 Denver on Monday night at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. Allan Legaspi and Shakir Nixon both earned their first career starts on Monday, while Sam Joseph recorded his third shutout in his third start of the year. With the result, UCLA moves to 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, when both teams are ranked inside the top 10.
UCLA Falls to Fullerton
The UCLA men's soccer lost for the first time on Thursday to Cal State Fullerton, 3-1. Fullerton tallied two goals in the 12th minute to take the lead into halftime. Transfer Nikolai Rojel, who was subbed on at halftime, got his first goal as a Bruin in the 50th minute, making it 2-1, but then the Bruins gave away a penalty in the 53rd, and CSUF converted the penalty and won 3-1
UCLA Beats No. 8 Portland
The Bruins 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. 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.
Bruins Draw With No. 18 JMU
UCLA kept a second consecutive clean sheet against a top-25 opponent on Sunday night, tying 0-0 with No. 18 James Madison University at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. Statistically, for UCLA Edrey Caceres, Sveinn Hauksson, and Andre Ochoa all tallied two shots, while sophomore goalkeeper Wyatt Nelson produced three saves. To begin the year the Bruins have now played 180 minutes without conceding a goal to begin the season. Nelson also produced the fourth clean sheet of his career in his first start for UCLA in 2024
Opening Night Win over No. 11 LMU
UCLA opened the 2024 season with a win over No. 11 LMU on Thursday night. Edrey Caceres provided both the goals for the Bruins, scoring two beautifully taken free kicks from just outside the 18 yard box. UCLA found the opening goal in the 27th minute. After a handball just outside the 18 yard box on LMU, Caceres stood over the ball to take the ensuing free kick. Caceres lined up the shot and lifted the ball over the LMU wall, past the outstretched arms of the keeper, and put the Bruins up 1-0. As for the second goal, just five seconds before the end of the first half, the Bruins had a free kick in almost the same spot where Caceres scored from the first time. It was almost a déjà vu moment as Caceres placed his second free kick of the game perfectly, directing it over the LMU wall, past the diving keeper, and into the back of the net, making it 2-0 UCLA going into halftime, and that's how the game would finish.
2023 In Review
Contell, Greenlee, Ochoa Selected to BIG TEN PReseason players to watch list
UCLA Picked Third in Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll
UCLA was tabbed to finish third in a preseason poll of the Big Ten coaches.
1. Indiana (unanimous)
2. Penn State
3. UCLA
4. Washington
5. Michigan State
6. Ohio State
7. Maryland
8. Northwestern
9. Rutgers
10. Michigan
11. Wisconsin
New Blood
The Bruins brought in 10 newcomers to augment the roster for the 2024 season:
International Flair
UCLA's current crop of players boasts eight student-athletes who were born or have lived abroad. UCLA's roster features two from Denmark (Philip Naef, Nikoai Rojel), and one from Iceland (Sveinn Hauksson), Italy (Pietro Grassi), Netherlands (Youri Senden), Spain (Jose Contell), while Lucca Adams (Brazil) and Artem Vovk (Ukraine) both were born abroad before coming to the United States as kids.
Bring on the B1G Ten
UCLA men's soccer begins its first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference on Thursday evening. The Bruins boast winning records against five current Big Ten schools. Additionally, the Bruins have never faced Michigan or Michigan State. UCLA's first conference match as a member of the conference will be on Sept. 13 at Northwestern.
Bruins on B1G+
All but three of UCLA's games will be broadcast on B1G+ ($) in 2024. The other two games will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. UCLA will play at Wisconsin on the Big Ten Network on Sept. 16, and will also host Indiana on Oct. 25 on the network.
Robles Added to the Staff
Jose Robles joined the UCLA men's soccer coaching staff in March, after spending the last four seasons with the Tulsa men's soccer program. Robles served as an assistant coach for two seasons before earning a promotion to associate head coach prior to the start of the 2022 campaign. During his tenure, Tulsa recorded a 36-19-8 overall record, coached 16 student-athletes to American Athletic Conference all-conference honors, four to all-rookie team accolades, and eight to all-tournament team honors. He helped two Tulsa student-athletes earn all-conference honors in 2023 with freshman Jared Aguilar and Sergio Baena earning spots on the all-rookie team and second team respectively.
Bruins in Professional Soccer
The Bruins had seven alumni in the MLS ranks at the start of the 2024 season. The 10th pick in the MLS SuperDraft, Grayson Doody, signed with CF Montreal, while Tucker Lepley, drafted by the LA Galaxy 62nd overall, signed with the Galaxy. Tommy Silva signed a homegrown contract with Real Salt Lake, joining Erik Holt in Salt Lake City. Earl Edwards Jr. is in his fourth season with the New England Revolution, Ryan Hollingshead is in his third year with LAFC, and Jackson Yueill is in his seventh season with the San Jose Earthquakes.
Internationally, three Bruins are in action. Frankie Amaya recently transferred from the New York Red Bulls to Toluca FC in Liga MX, Reggie Cannon is in his second season with Queens Park Rangers in the English Championship, and Milan Illoski is in his second season at FC Nordsjælland (Denmark).
Date/Time: Friday, Sept. 13, 7 p.m. CT/5 p.m. PT
Location: Evanston, Illi. (Martin Stadium)
TV/Stream: Big Ten Plus
Live Stats: UCLAlivestats.com
UCLA Hits The Road To Begin Big Ten Play
The UCLA men's soccer hits the road for the first time in 2024, and will play No. 14 Northwestern to begin their road schedule. The game will also be the Bruins' first conference matchup as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The No. 14 Wildcats head into Friday's game fresh off a 1-0 win over Marquette.
Tough Slate to Start
UCLA has opened the season with four of their first five games coming against teams ranked in the top 25 at the time of the game. In those games UCLA is undefeated at 2-0-2, and have picked up wins over No. 11 LMU and No. 8 Portland, while drawing with No. 18 James Madison and No. 3 Denver.
The road doesn't get any easier for the Bruins with UCLA set to take on No. 14 Northwestern and No. 8 Wisconsin. With those two ranked games the Bruins will have played six of their first seven games against ranked teams.
Last Time Out Against Northwestern
UCLA and Northwestern have met once before, in 2019. The Bruins won the only matchup between the two schools 1-0 in a neutral site game hosted by Indiana. The game was also head coach Ryan Jorden's first win in charge of the UCLA men's soccer program.
Stout Defense
UCLA had not conceded a goal until the fourth game of the season to begin the 2024 season. Over the course of four games, the Bruins have limited No. 11 LMU, No. 18 JMU, No. 8 Portland, Cal State Fullerton, and No. 3 Denver to a combined three goals and to a combined 12 shots on goal, while keepers Sam Joseph and Wyatt Nelson have recorded a combined four clean sheets.
- UCLA is one of four teams in the country who have recorded four or more shutouts
- UCLA is one of five schools who boast a shutout percentage of .800 or higher
- The Bruins are tied for third nationally in shutout percentage (.800)
Bruins in the NCAA Rankings
- Shutouts: T-2nd - 4
- Shoutout percentage: T-3rd - .800
- Goals Against Average: T-16th - .600
Big Time Matchup
UCLA is set for a second game in their last three against top-15 opposition when they take on No. 14 Northwestern. In their last 10 games against teams ranked inside the top 15, UCLA holds a 3-4-3 record. The Bruins last three wins against top 15 teams have come against No. 11 LMU and No. 8 Portland in 2024, as well as No. 12 Clemson in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2022.
There's A First For Everything
In UCLA's 2-0 win over No. 8 Portland, three Bruins tallied their first collegiate points. Graduate forward Sveinn Hauksson tallied his first career assist, while freshman Shakir Nixon and Tamir Ratoviz both scored their first collegiate goals, and provided their first collegiate assists.
The same thing happened to Nikolai Rojel on Thursday against Cal State Fullerton. The transfer tallied his first career goal as a Bruin with a well-taken goal from just outside the box, pulling the Bruins within a goal at the time. Additionally, for UCLA, freshman Allan Legaspi, sophomore Jacob Diaz, and sophomore Sam Scott all made their collegiate debuts.
B1G Players of the Week
UCLA junior goalkeeper Sam Joseph and freshman defender Shakir Nixon have been named the Big Ten Men's Soccer Goalkeeper of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week (Aug. 27 - Sept. 3), becoming the first Bruin men's soccer players ever to win a weekly award in the Big Ten Conference.
Sam Joseph (San Diego, Calif.) earns his first career conference accolades for his display in goal for the Bruins in the 2-0 win over No. 8 Portland. The junior earned his second start of the campaign and produced three top-notch saves to secure the clean sheet. Playing all 90 minutes for the second time this season, Joseph recorded his second consecutive shutout, after also not conceding a goal in UCLA's 2-0 win over No. 11 LMU to open the season.
Shakir Nixon (Cerritos, Calif.) tallied his first three collegiate points on Friday night over 52 minutes of action off the bench, helping No. 10 UCLA take down No. 8 Portland 2-0. The freshman scored the second goal for the Bruins in the win over the Pilots in the 76th minute of the match, putting UCLA up 2-0. Nixon also recorded the first assist of his collegiate career on the Bruins' first goal, setting up fellow freshman Tamir Ratoviz in the 54th minute, which put UCLA up at the time 1-0.
Bruin Debuts
Eight Bruins made either their collegiate debut or UCLA debut in the season opener against No. 11 LMU. Freshman Shakir Nixon and Tamir Ratoviz, and international graduate student Sveinn Hauksson all made their NCAA debuts. Additionally, Caceres, Nico Cavallo, Oshea Foster, Nikolai Rojel, and Youri Senden all made their UCLA debuts.
UCLA Draws With No. 3 Denver
The No. 6 UCLA men's soccer team earned their fourth shutout in five games to begin the season, drawing 0-0 with No. 3 Denver on Monday night at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. Allan Legaspi and Shakir Nixon both earned their first career starts on Monday, while Sam Joseph recorded his third shutout in his third start of the year. With the result, UCLA moves to 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, when both teams are ranked inside the top 10.
UCLA Falls to Fullerton
The UCLA men's soccer lost for the first time on Thursday to Cal State Fullerton, 3-1. Fullerton tallied two goals in the 12th minute to take the lead into halftime. Transfer Nikolai Rojel, who was subbed on at halftime, got his first goal as a Bruin in the 50th minute, making it 2-1, but then the Bruins gave away a penalty in the 53rd, and CSUF converted the penalty and won 3-1
UCLA Beats No. 8 Portland
The Bruins 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. 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.
Bruins Draw With No. 18 JMU
UCLA kept a second consecutive clean sheet against a top-25 opponent on Sunday night, tying 0-0 with No. 18 James Madison University at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. Statistically, for UCLA Edrey Caceres, Sveinn Hauksson, and Andre Ochoa all tallied two shots, while sophomore goalkeeper Wyatt Nelson produced three saves. To begin the year the Bruins have now played 180 minutes without conceding a goal to begin the season. Nelson also produced the fourth clean sheet of his career in his first start for UCLA in 2024
Opening Night Win over No. 11 LMU
UCLA opened the 2024 season with a win over No. 11 LMU on Thursday night. Edrey Caceres provided both the goals for the Bruins, scoring two beautifully taken free kicks from just outside the 18 yard box. UCLA found the opening goal in the 27th minute. After a handball just outside the 18 yard box on LMU, Caceres stood over the ball to take the ensuing free kick. Caceres lined up the shot and lifted the ball over the LMU wall, past the outstretched arms of the keeper, and put the Bruins up 1-0. As for the second goal, just five seconds before the end of the first half, the Bruins had a free kick in almost the same spot where Caceres scored from the first time. It was almost a déjà vu moment as Caceres placed his second free kick of the game perfectly, directing it over the LMU wall, past the diving keeper, and into the back of the net, making it 2-0 UCLA going into halftime, and that's how the game would finish.
2023 In Review
- The Bruins won the Pac-12 title for the first time since 2012
- UCLA went 9-4-5 overall on the year, and 6-0-4 in conference play
- The undefeated mark in conference play was the third time in the Pac-12 era that the Bruins had finished undefeated in conference play
- The Bruins advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row
- UCLA allowed one goal or fewer in 14 of their 18 games during the 2023 season
- The Bruins' 1.06 goals against average in 2023 was their third lowest average in the last 10 seasons, only the 2022 team (1.00 GAA) and 2014 (0.92 GAA) were lower
- Tucker Lepley became the first Bruin to earn All-America honors since Milan Illoski did in 2019. Lepley earned third-team All-American honors from United Soccer Coaches, Top Drawer Soccer, and College Soccer News
- Four Bruins earned All-Far-West Region honors. Lepley and Tommy Silva earned first-team honors, while Andre Ochoa and Jack Sarkos earned third-team honors
- Lepley (1st Team), Jose Contell (2nd Team), Sarkos (2nd Team), Silva (2nd Team), Ochoa (HM), Sean Karani (HM) all were named to the Pac-12 All-Conference teams
- 16 different players recorded a point for UCLA, including nine separate goal scorers
Contell, Greenlee, Ochoa Selected to BIG TEN PReseason players to watch list
- Jose Contell enters his fifth season in Westwood in 2024. The redshirt senior has been a consistent contributor for the Bruins during his three years in the lineup, netting at least 12 points in all three seasons. The Valencia, Spain, native scored a career-high five goals in 2021 and has tallied six assist seasons twice, in 2021 and 2023. At the conclusion of the 2023 season, Contell was named to the All-Far West Region Second Team and was a 2023 Pac-12 Second Team selection.
- Pablo Greenlee also enters his fifth season at UCLA. The Hollywood, California native has played 40 times for the Bruins over four seasons, making 14 starts. During the 2023 season, in which the Bruins earned the Pac-12 title, Greenlee made 11 appearances, with 10 starts.
- Andre Ochoa embarks on his third season at UCLA, having transferred from San Diego State after his sophomore season. The senior from Anaheim, California, started all 18 of UCLA's games in 2023, and earned third-team all-Far West region honors and Pac-12 honorable mention accolades after tallying 15 points (4G, 7A) on the season. For his career in Westwood, Ochoa has seven goals and 11 assists over 39 appearances (36 starts).
UCLA Picked Third in Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll
UCLA was tabbed to finish third in a preseason poll of the Big Ten coaches.
1. Indiana (unanimous)
2. Penn State
3. UCLA
4. Washington
5. Michigan State
6. Ohio State
7. Maryland
8. Northwestern
9. Rutgers
10. Michigan
11. Wisconsin
New Blood
The Bruins brought in 10 newcomers to augment the roster for the 2024 season:
- Lucca Adams, GK (LA Galaxy Academy) - Led the U-17 LA Galaxy team to the MLS Next National Championship
- Edrey Caceres, MF (Marquette) – All-Big East Second Team selection in 2021, 2022, 2023
- Nico Cavallo, D (Davidson) – All-Region selection in 2021, 2022, 2023
- Sveinn Hauksson, MF/F (University of Iceland) – Hauksson comes to UCLA having played for club KA Akureyri in the Icelandic Premier League
- Allan Legaspi, D (LA Galaxy Academy) - Captained the U-17 LA Galaxy team that won the MLS Next U-17 championship this past season
- Shakir Nixon, D (LAFC Academy) - Part of the US U-17 National Team pool in preparation for the 2023 U-17 World Cup. Has made multiple appearances for LAFC2 in MLS Next competition
- Tamir Ratoviz, MF (LAFC Academy) - Central midfielder for the LAFC U-17 team who has played regularly for his MLS NextPro team. Has been called into both the US U-17 National Team as well as the Israeli U-17 National Team.
- Nikolai Rojel, F (Wofford) - SoCon Player of the Year (2023), All-Southern Conference First Team (2022, 2023), SoCon Freshman of the Year (2022)
- Youri Senden, D (Drexel) - Spent three seasons at Drexel, earned All-CAA honors, three times, including defender of the year and first-team All-CAA honors as a senior in 2023.
- Artem Vovk, F (Elk Grove Sporting) - Named to the TopDrawerSoccer Best 11 at U-19 at the Elite Academy Level. Scored over 100 goals and added over 30 assists during his time at the club level.
International Flair
UCLA's current crop of players boasts eight student-athletes who were born or have lived abroad. UCLA's roster features two from Denmark (Philip Naef, Nikoai Rojel), and one from Iceland (Sveinn Hauksson), Italy (Pietro Grassi), Netherlands (Youri Senden), Spain (Jose Contell), while Lucca Adams (Brazil) and Artem Vovk (Ukraine) both were born abroad before coming to the United States as kids.
Bring on the B1G Ten
UCLA men's soccer begins its first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference on Thursday evening. The Bruins boast winning records against five current Big Ten schools. Additionally, the Bruins have never faced Michigan or Michigan State. UCLA's first conference match as a member of the conference will be on Sept. 13 at Northwestern.
Bruins on B1G+
All but three of UCLA's games will be broadcast on B1G+ ($) in 2024. The other two games will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. UCLA will play at Wisconsin on the Big Ten Network on Sept. 16, and will also host Indiana on Oct. 25 on the network.
Robles Added to the Staff
Jose Robles joined the UCLA men's soccer coaching staff in March, after spending the last four seasons with the Tulsa men's soccer program. Robles served as an assistant coach for two seasons before earning a promotion to associate head coach prior to the start of the 2022 campaign. During his tenure, Tulsa recorded a 36-19-8 overall record, coached 16 student-athletes to American Athletic Conference all-conference honors, four to all-rookie team accolades, and eight to all-tournament team honors. He helped two Tulsa student-athletes earn all-conference honors in 2023 with freshman Jared Aguilar and Sergio Baena earning spots on the all-rookie team and second team respectively.
Bruins in Professional Soccer
The Bruins had seven alumni in the MLS ranks at the start of the 2024 season. The 10th pick in the MLS SuperDraft, Grayson Doody, signed with CF Montreal, while Tucker Lepley, drafted by the LA Galaxy 62nd overall, signed with the Galaxy. Tommy Silva signed a homegrown contract with Real Salt Lake, joining Erik Holt in Salt Lake City. Earl Edwards Jr. is in his fourth season with the New England Revolution, Ryan Hollingshead is in his third year with LAFC, and Jackson Yueill is in his seventh season with the San Jose Earthquakes.
Internationally, three Bruins are in action. Frankie Amaya recently transferred from the New York Red Bulls to Toluca FC in Liga MX, Reggie Cannon is in his second season with Queens Park Rangers in the English Championship, and Milan Illoski is in his second season at FC Nordsjælland (Denmark).