Photo by: Mac Brown
UCLA Picked Fourth in Big Ten Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
August 19, 2025 | Men's Soccer
LOS ANGELES – In its second season in the Big Ten Conference, the UCLA men's soccer team has been selected to finish fourth by the coaches in the preseason poll.
The Bruins bring 13 conference championships, including the 2023 Pac-12 title, to the Big Ten. In 2024, UCLA posted a 7-6-6 overall record and finished 3-4-3 in conference play. UCLA then advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth season in a row.
UCLA will play two opponents who are ranked in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll this season, playing at No. 11 Indiana on September 26, and at No. 3 Ohio State on September 29. The Bruins will also take on five teams that made the NCAA Tournament in 2024 in Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State, and Washington.
The Big Ten Conference also announced its players to watch list on Tuesday. Included in the list are graduate defender Drew Brown, sophomore midfielder Tamir Ratoviz, and sophomore forward Sergi Solans Ormo.
Brown enters his fourth season of college soccer in 2025, and his first in Westwood after transferring from Wisconsin. The graduate defender totaled 48 appearances and 42 starts across three seasons at Wisconsin. Brown made 11 appearances and five starts for the Badgers in 2024 while in 2023 he started in all 16 games he played, and played 90 minutes in all but three of them. He was a key member of a Wisconsin defense that collected seven shutouts, and was named to TopDrawerSoccer's National Team of the Week after a shutout of No. 2 Kentucky in 2023. Brown played every minute of the season as a freshman in 2022, where he scored his first career goal against Maryland on Oct. 10, 2022.
Ratoviz enters his second season at UCLA in 2025. The Oak Park, California native played in 18 games, making two starts as a true freshman in 2024. He tallied nine points (2G, 5A) on the year, the fourth most on the team and the most of any freshman on the roster. His five assists were the second most on the team in 2024. Ratoviz recorded his first collegiate goal and collegiate assist in UCLA's 2-0 win over No. 8 Portland on Aug. 30, scored UCLA's equalizer in the Bruin's 1-1 draw at No. 6 Maryland on Oct. 21, and dished out his third assist of the year in the game against No. 25 Indiana. He then recorded a season-high two assists in UCLA's 6-0 win over Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals.
Solans Ormo is UCLA's third player on the watch list. He was recently named to the United Soccer Coaches Forwards to Watch list for 2025 after being named a third-team All-America honoree while playing at Oregon State in 2024. He led the Beavers with 14 goals and three assists in 2024 over 16 appearances, and after the year was drafted in the first round, 30th overall by Real Salt Lake in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft. Solans Ormo had one of the best offensive seasons in Oregon State men's soccer history, earning third-team All-America honors, WCC Offensive Player of the Year and United Soccer Coaches All-Region honors in 2024. His 14 goals were tied for the fifth-highest single-season total in program history, and his 31 points were the sixth-most by a Beaver in a single year. Solans finished the year seventh in the nation in total goals, and ranked third in the country in goals per game at 0.88.
2025 Big Ten Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
1. Indiana
2. Maryland
3. Ohio State
4. UCLA
5. Washington
6. Michigan
7. Michigan State
8. Wisconsin
9. Rutgers
10. Penn State
11. Northwestern
The Bruins bring 13 conference championships, including the 2023 Pac-12 title, to the Big Ten. In 2024, UCLA posted a 7-6-6 overall record and finished 3-4-3 in conference play. UCLA then advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth season in a row.
UCLA will play two opponents who are ranked in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll this season, playing at No. 11 Indiana on September 26, and at No. 3 Ohio State on September 29. The Bruins will also take on five teams that made the NCAA Tournament in 2024 in Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State, and Washington.
The Big Ten Conference also announced its players to watch list on Tuesday. Included in the list are graduate defender Drew Brown, sophomore midfielder Tamir Ratoviz, and sophomore forward Sergi Solans Ormo.
Brown enters his fourth season of college soccer in 2025, and his first in Westwood after transferring from Wisconsin. The graduate defender totaled 48 appearances and 42 starts across three seasons at Wisconsin. Brown made 11 appearances and five starts for the Badgers in 2024 while in 2023 he started in all 16 games he played, and played 90 minutes in all but three of them. He was a key member of a Wisconsin defense that collected seven shutouts, and was named to TopDrawerSoccer's National Team of the Week after a shutout of No. 2 Kentucky in 2023. Brown played every minute of the season as a freshman in 2022, where he scored his first career goal against Maryland on Oct. 10, 2022.
Ratoviz enters his second season at UCLA in 2025. The Oak Park, California native played in 18 games, making two starts as a true freshman in 2024. He tallied nine points (2G, 5A) on the year, the fourth most on the team and the most of any freshman on the roster. His five assists were the second most on the team in 2024. Ratoviz recorded his first collegiate goal and collegiate assist in UCLA's 2-0 win over No. 8 Portland on Aug. 30, scored UCLA's equalizer in the Bruin's 1-1 draw at No. 6 Maryland on Oct. 21, and dished out his third assist of the year in the game against No. 25 Indiana. He then recorded a season-high two assists in UCLA's 6-0 win over Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals.
Solans Ormo is UCLA's third player on the watch list. He was recently named to the United Soccer Coaches Forwards to Watch list for 2025 after being named a third-team All-America honoree while playing at Oregon State in 2024. He led the Beavers with 14 goals and three assists in 2024 over 16 appearances, and after the year was drafted in the first round, 30th overall by Real Salt Lake in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft. Solans Ormo had one of the best offensive seasons in Oregon State men's soccer history, earning third-team All-America honors, WCC Offensive Player of the Year and United Soccer Coaches All-Region honors in 2024. His 14 goals were tied for the fifth-highest single-season total in program history, and his 31 points were the sixth-most by a Beaver in a single year. Solans finished the year seventh in the nation in total goals, and ranked third in the country in goals per game at 0.88.
2025 Big Ten Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
1. Indiana
2. Maryland
3. Ohio State
4. UCLA
5. Washington
6. Michigan
7. Michigan State
8. Wisconsin
9. Rutgers
10. Penn State
11. Northwestern
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