LOS ANGELES – Junior defender Shakir Nixon and Freshman goalkeeper Tristan Shaw were named the Big Ten Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday, November 10. Both players are receiving their first conference awards of the 2026 season.

Nixon helped the Bruins earn a 1-0 win over No. 6 Washington to close out the regular season last Wednesday. Nixon played 90 minutes and helped the UCLA backline keep a clean sheet against the Huskies, while spending the majority of the game defending the NCAA's leading goal scorer, Zach Ramsey. 

This is the first conference award for Nixon in 2026. The junior also earned defensive player of the week honors on one occasion in 2024.

Freshman goalkeeper Tristan Shaw kept a clean sheet as No. 25 UCLA upset No. 6 Washington to close the Big Ten regular season schedule. The Scottsdale, Arizona native recorded two huge saves to keep the Huskies off the board in the win.

This is Shaw’s first conference honor in his first collegiate season. For the year, Shaw has made six appearances and has recorded 13 saves on the year.   

UCLA finished the regular season 9-4-5 and went 4-3-3 in Big Ten Conference play, earning a berth in the Big Ten Men’s Soccer Tournament. The Bruins will find out their NCAA Tournament opponent on Monday, November 16 at 10 am PT. The selection show will be streamed on NCAA.com.