No. 20 UCLA (0-1-1) vs. San Diego (0-0-1)
Date: Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026 – 7p.m. PT
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Wallis Annenberg Stadium)
Tickets: uclabruins.com/tickets; UCLA students free with Student Access Pass
Theme: Retro Night
Giveaway: Fanny pack
Broadcast: B1G+ (bigtenplus.com)
Talent: Nick Koop, Graham Metzker
Live Stats: ucla.statbroadcast.com
BRUINS HOST TOREROS THURSDAY
No. 20 UCLA will host San Diego on Thursday, Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. PT. Each team is seeking its first win of the season. Fans can enjoy retro pricing for the game, using discount code RETRO0820 when buying online at uclabruins.com/tickets. Fanny packs and keychains are among the giveaway items.
SCOUTING THE TOREROS
San Diego opened its season with a 0-0 tie against Cal State Fullerton. Goalkeeper Chloe Walls earned the shutout by making four saves on 11 shots. Mia Teran led the Toreros with three of their nine shots. San Diego went 4-7-7 a year ago. Sophomore Amanda Anders is the team’s top returning scorer, ranking second with six goals and 13 points in 2025. Walls and Ilse Medrano split the starting position at goal last season, with Walls starting 11 games and Medano starting eight. Walls recorded three shutouts and posted a goals against average of 1.40.
THE SERIES WITH SAN DIEGO
UCLA leads the overall series with San Diego, 22-1-5, and has won the last six matchups. The teams have not met since 2021. The Bruins won that game, 2-0, in San Diego. The Toreros’ lone win in the series came in the first matchup, which was contested in San Diego on Nov. 7, 1993 and won by the home team, 1-0.
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.
LAST TIME OUT
No. 9 UCLA rallied to tie No. 3 Duke, 1-1, in a Top 10 matchup at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. After allowing a goal off a free kick just two minutes into the contest, the Bruins came back strong in the second half to tie on a penalty kick by Oruha Hayashi in the 50th minute. Nicki Fraser drew the foul in the box to earn the penalty. The game took a turn in the Bruins’ favor in the 73rd minute when a Blue Devil player was red-carded, forcing Duke to be down a player for the final 18 minutes. UCLA had chances in those final 18 minutes but was denied by the Blue Devils. Powell’s shot in the 78th minute from just outside the box was saved, and Molly Hale rocketed at shot in the 87th minute that required a leaping save. UCLA’s defense held the Blue Devils to zero shots in the half and just two in the game.
BRUIN DEBUTS
A total of nine players made their official UCLA debuts last week. First-time starters against BYU were transfers Olivia Woodson, Asa Yamazaki and Cate Sarinopoulos. Coming in as reserves were transfers Marli Galdamez, Ava Priest and Abby Gemma and freshmen Anna Wilson and Thea Perry. Woodson logged the most minutes with 85 and had a shot on goal, and Yamazaki totaled 80 minutes. Priest recorded an assist on UCLA’s goal. Additionally, junior Sammy Sanchez earned her first career start. Against Duke in game two, freshman Molly Hale made her collegiate debut and played 50 minutes with one shot on goal.
IN THE RANKINGS
UCLA dropped from No. 9 in the preseason ranking to No. 20 after the first week of play in the IWSOC Coaches poll. Both of UCLA’s week one opponents are now in the Top 10 - No. 2 Duke and No. 9 BYU.
BRUINS IN THE UNDER-20 WORLD CUP
Goalkeeper Mariangela Medina and defender Abby Gemma have been selected to their respective country’s FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup squads. Medina will play for Mexico, while Gemma will be a traveling alternate for the U.S. team. Medina is making her second career FIFA Under-20 World Cup appearance. She played in the 2024 tournament and made one appearance in the Round of 16 match against the U.S., entering the game in overtime and making a save on a penalty kick just two minutes into her time on the pitch. The 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will take place in Poland from Sept. 5-27. The U.S. has won this tournament three times, most recently in 2012.
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.
PRESEASON TOP 100 PLAYERS
Top Drawer Soccer has ranked five Bruins in its Preseason Players to Watch List. Leena Powell leads all Bruins at No. 38, followed closely behind by No. 41 Ava Priest. Abby Gemma ranks No. 59, Grace Shank No. 64, and Daphne Nakfoor No. 91. Additionally, freshman midfielder Mia Corona was named to Top Drawer Soccer’s Preseason Freshman Team.
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. In the season opener against BYU, she started and played 60 minutes, and in the Duke contest, she logged 64 minutes and drew a penalty kick in the 1-1 tie while helping to hold the Blue Devils to just two shots in the game. For her efforts, she was named the UCLA Student-Athlete of the Week presented by Champion of Westwood. 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 at 5pm PT. Also airing on Big Ten Network will be UCLA’s home finale against Washington on Oct. 16 at 8pm PT and the regular season finale at USC on Oct. 30 at 7pm PT.