LOS ANGELES - The No. 17 UCLA men’s soccer program defeated the Denver Pioneers 3-0 on Friday night at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. Tamir Ratoviz got the Bruins on the board first, before Skair Nixon converted a second-half penalty, and Diego Castano netted the third to earn the win on the night.

UCLA (2-0-1) recorded 19 shots on the night, while limiting Denver (0-2-1) to just five, with two coming on frame. 

In the 34th minute, UCLA found an opportunity to take a lead with Nixon dribbling down the right side of the field. He sent a dangerous cross into the box, which found Castano inside the box, but the shot was well saved by the Denver goalkeeper. 

Ratoviz gave UCLA the 1-0 lead with just two minutes left in the first half. With a cross from Nixon, Ratoviz knocked the ball into the bottom right corner from inside the box. The goal was his first after battling back from a lengthy injury that kept him out for the majority of the 2025 season.

The Bruins continued to attack throughout the second half. Sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Tiltack blocked a hard shot taken from far outside the box, and paired it away to keep the clean sheet intact.

UCLA took a 2-0 lead in the 68th minute. Nixon, who assisted on the opening goal, dribbled into the box and was fouled, giving the Bruins a penalty. Nixon then slotted home the penalty into the bottom right corner of the net to put UCLA up 2-0. 

In the final 15 minutes of the match, Castano, a fifth-year senior from Spain, gave the Bruins their third tally of the night. Mathis Richter headed the ball off of an Adrian Aguilar’s corner kick to Castano inside the box, who finished the goal off a volley to push UCLA in front by three. The goal was also Castano’s first goal in his first game as a Bruin.

UCLA’s defense stayed strong throughout the full 90 minutes, with Tiltack collecting two saves, preserving the 3-0 shutout, and earning the squads first clean sheet of the season.

Up Next: UCLA travels to California on Wednesday night. The game is set for 5 pm PT and the match will be broadcast on ACCNX.