No. 9 UCLA (12-5-4 in 2025) vs. BYU (11-7-6 in 2025)
Date: Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026 – 7 p.m. PT
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Wallis Annenberg Stadium)
Tickets: uclabruins.com/tickets (use code BACK2SCHOOL for discounted tickets) // UCLA students free with BruinCard
Giveaway: Schedule posters
Broadcast: B1G+ (www.bigtenplus.com)
Talent: Nick Koop, Cate Frist
Live Stats: ucla.statbroadcast.com
No. 9 UCLA (12-5-4 in 2025) vs. No. 3 Duke (17-5-1 in 2025)
Date: Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026 – 6 p.m. PT
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Wallis Annenberg Stadium)
Tickets: uclabruins.com/tickets // UCLA students free with BruinCard
Theme: Women’s Empowerment Night
Postmatch: Photos on the field
Broadcast: B1G+ (www.bigtenplus.com)
Talent: Nick Koop, Cate Frist
Live Stats: ucla.statbroadcast.com
2026 SEASON KICKS OFF WEDNESDAY
The preseason No. 9 UCLA women’s soccer team will kick off the 2026 season on Wednesday, Aug. 12 against BYU. The match will take place at Wallis Annenberg Stadium at 7 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus. The Bruins will play a second home match this week on Sunday, Aug. 16 at 6 p.m. PT against No. 3 Duke.
BOYOKO ERA BEGINS
UCLA begins the Gof Boyoko era in 2026, as the Bruins’ former associate head coach steps into the head coach position. Boyoko was on the UCLA coaching staff the previous four years and helped guide the Bruins to a 67-13-9 (.803) overall record and a 33-5-6 (.818) conference record, with NCAA Tournament appearances in each year. The Bruins won the NCAA Championship in Boyoko’s first season and captured conference titles in 2023 and 2024. Boyoko has coached 27 Bruins who went on to professional playing careers both domestically and internationally, along with multiple national and youth national team players.
UCLA IN SEASON OPENERS
UCLA is 26-6-1 all-time in season openers and has won 10 in a row and 15 of the last 16. The Bruins beat Georgia on the road in the 2025 season opener, 1-0. This is the second time UCLA has hosted BYU in its home opener. It last occurred on Feb. 12, 2021, with the Bruins winning 2-1.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
BYU went 11-7-6 in 2025 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Big 12 Tournament as the No. 8 seed. Three of the Cougars’ postseason games went to penalty kicks, and they won each shootout, including one against the Bruins in the NCAA second round. The Cougars return a pair of All-Americans in forward Ellie Walbruch, who scored 16 goals a year ago, and midfielder Lucy Kesler, who totaled seven points in 2025. Walbruch was a member of UCLA’s 2022 NCAA Championship squad before transferring to BYU in 2023. BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood will be coaching in her 32nd and final season. She has recorded more than 470 victories, ranking among the top 10 winningest coaches in NCAA Division I history and standing as the winningest active female head coach.
THE SERIES WITH BYU
The series between UCLA and BYU stands at 4-4-2 after the Cougars evened it up in 2025 with a 1-0 home victory on Aug. 23 and a 1-1 draw in the NCAA second round on Nov. 21. UCLA won the last matchup in Westwood on Aug. 28, 2024 by a 1-0 score.
SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS
Duke enters the season ranked No. 3 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll. The Blue Devils have advanced to the College Cup in each of the last two seasons and finished the 2025 season with a 17-5-1 overall record. Duke has four All-Americans on its current squad - returners Mia Minestrella and Cameron Roller, and transfers Katie Shea Collins (South Carolina) and Sam Courtwright (Texas Tech). Minestrella, who is from Redondo Beach, Calif. (Redondo Union HS), led Duke in scoring last year with 18 goals, seven game-winning goals and 41 points and has totaled 30 goals, 14 assists and 74 points in her career. The Blue Devils will open the season on Wednesday at USC.
THE SERIES WITH DUKE
UCLA leads the overall series with Duke, 5-1-1, and won the last matchup in Durham on Sept. 1, 2022 against the then-No. 2 Blue Devils by a 2-1 score. This is Duke’s first visit to Westwood since the 2008 NCAA quarterfinals, a 6-1 Bruin victory. Duke’s lone win in the series was a 2-1 victory in the teams’ first matchup on Sept. 15, 1996 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
PRESEASON RANKINGS
UCLA enters the season ranked No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll. The Bruins were picked to finish second in the conference in the Big Ten’s preseason poll. UCLA will face five teams in 2026 who are ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 in No. 1 Stanford (Aug. 27), No. 3 Duke (Aug. 16), No. 7 Michigan State (Sept. 13), No. 12 Washington (Oct. 16) and No. 17 Ohio State (Sept. 17). All but the Stanford game will be at home.
POWELL, SHANK, WOODSON NAMED TO WATCH LIST
Bruins Leena Powell, Grace Shank and Olivia Woodson were selected to the Big Ten Players to Watch List. Powell, a sophomore forward from Culver City, Calif., started 16 of 19 games played a year ago and totaled one assist. She is a member of the U.S. Under-19 National Team, along with Shank, who played in all 21 games in 2025 and made 14 starts while totaling one goal and one assist. Shank, a sophomore midfielder from McLean, Va., was selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman team. Woodson, a forward from Chesterfield, Va., scored 18 career goals at Auburn University and was an all-region honoree in 2024.
IMPACT TRANSFERS
UCLA welcomes seven transfers to the squad in 2026, including three who have experience playing in the College Cup in Cate Sarinopoulos and Marli Galdamez (TCU 2025) and Lynette Bryant (BYU 2023). Bryant will be facing her former team straight away in the season opener on Aug. 12. Also arriving in Westwood this season are 2024 all-region selections Olivia Woodson from Auburn and Ava Priest from Colorado, U.S. Under-20 National Team player Abby Gemma from Florida, and two-time Junior College All-American Asa Yamazaki (Arizona Western). Top Drawer Soccer ranked UCLA’s transfer class No. 2 overall in 2026.
WELCOME FRESHMEN
The Bruins bring in a strong freshman class, highlighted by five youth national team players from four different countries - U.S. Under-17 midfielder Mia Corona, U.S. Under-16 defender Thea Perry, Mexico Under-20 National Team forward Anaiya Miyazato, Canada Under-17 National Team defender Molly Hale, and Brazil Under-17 National Team defender Bela Araújo. Also joining UCLA in 2026 are defender Anna Wilson and midfielder Fiona McGeough.
FRASER RETURNS
Defender Nicki Fraser, the 2024 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, returns in 2026 after sitting out the 2025 season with injuries. Fraser started in 20 games her freshman season and helped UCLA’s defense record the lowest team goals against average in the nation (0.41) and the most shutouts (16). In addition to being named the conference’s Freshman of the Year, she also received third-team All-Big Ten honors and All-Freshman acclaim. A U.S. Youth National Team member, Fraser played in the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and the 2023 Pan American Games.
ACADEMIC HONORS
For the 15th consecutive year, the UCLA women’s soccer team has won a United Soccer Coaches College Team Academic Award, recognizing exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2025-26 academic year. The Bruins posted a team GPA of 3.29, their seventh consecutive year over 3.25. A total of 10 players were named to the Academic All-Big Ten team in the fall.
LOOKING BACK AT LAST SEASON
UCLA ended the 2025 season with a 12-5-4 record after falling in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in penalty kicks to BYU. The Bruins’ defense in 2025 was exceptional, as they ranked second in goals against average (0.47) and goals allowed (10). UCLA recorded 12 shutouts on the year, including a 2-0 shutout victory over then-No. 1 Stanford on Sept. 7. Only one team (Michigan State) scored multiple goals against the Bruins in a single game, and none had done so in regulation. Four of UCLA’s five losses were by 1-0 scores. The Bruins produced two All-Americans in seniors Emma Egizii and Jennie Immethun, both of whom are now playing in the NWSL. Forward Bella Winn, the team leader in goals scored with eight, was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Two other freshmen - Daphne Nakfoor and Grace Shank - earned Big Ten All-Freshman honors. A total of six Bruins were named to the All-Big Ten team, including returning starters Kara Croone and Paloma Daubert.
BRUINS ON TV
Three of UCLA’s matches will be broadcast on Big Ten Network this season. All remaining home and conference games will air on Big Ten Plus. The Bruins’ first televised match will be on Sept. 24 at Rutgers. Also airing on Big Ten Network will be UCLA’s home finale against Washington on Oct. 16 and the regular season finale at USC on Oct. 30.