UCLA
San Diego State
Bruins Set for Sunday Clash with San Diego State
October 13, 2017 | Men's Soccer
San Diego State vs. UCLA
Los Angeles, Calif. (Drake Stadium)
Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017 – 5 p.m. (PT)
TV: Pac-12 Networks
TV Talent: Jim Watson
Internet Radio: UCLABruins.com
Radio Talent: Nick Koop
Live Stats: UCLALiveStats.com
Follow @UCLAMSoccer
UCLA Welcomes Aztecs to Drake on Sunday
After picking up its first two victories in Pac-12 play over the weekend, UCLA will host San Diego State to complete the first half of the conference schedule on Sunday starting at 5 p.m. PT from Drake Stadium. The match will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
M. Iloski Named Pac-12 Player of the Week
Freshman forward Milan Iloski was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week for the first time in his career after having a part in both of UCLA's game-winning goals last week. On Thursday, the freshman forward netted his first career goal as a Bruin for the game-winner at Oregon State in the 69th minute for the 1-0 win. Against No. 22 Washington on Sunday, Iloski assisted on the golden goal in the first overtime as he served a perfect corner kick to Matthew Powell to earn the 1-0 victory and improve UCLA's record to 2-2 in Pac-12 play. It is UCLA first weekly honor of the season from the conference.
Silva Stepping Up
Sophomore goalkeeper Kevin Silva has been a driving force for the Bruins over the last three matches. He has posted consecutive shutouts for the first time since last season and now has three on the season. During the last three-match stretch, he has totaled 13 saves including back-to-back six save, shutout performances against Oregon State and Washington. The Bethlehem, Pa. native has compiled 96 saves and six shutouts in just 22 career matches for the Bruins.
Iloski's Dominance
Senior forward Brian Iloski leads the Bruins with five goals this season, including three game-winners and is ranked top-75 in the NCAA in game-winning goals (13th) and goals per game (69th). He was named honorable mention to Top Drawer Soccer's Team of the Week after the first week of the season when he recorded his first career brace with the Bruins at San Francisco in the season opener.
Pac-12 Leaders
With the Pac-12 season almost halfway complete, several UCLA players rank inside the top-10 statistically in conference play. Senior Brian Iloski leads all players during Pac-12 play in shots (15) and shots per game (3.75). Goalkeeper Kevin Silva in second during conference play in total saves (16), saves per game (4) and shutouts (2), while also ranking third in save percentage (.842) and goals-against average (.74). Milan Iloski and Matthew Powell are both tied for third with one game-winning goal each.
Midseason Honors
This week Top Drawer Soccer announced its Midseason top 100 player list and a pair of Bruins made the list. Junior captain Erik Holt moved up four spots from the preseason to No. 54, while leading scorer Brian Iloski jumped from No. 74 in the preseason to No. 72 on the midseason list.
Starting Lineup Stalwarts
The Bruins have had three players start in each of the first 10 matches this season - leading goal scorer Brian Iloski, goalkeeper Kevin Silva and junior transfer Anderson Asiedu. UCLA has had 17 different players start at least one match so far this season.
New Players Making an Impact
The Bruins have had a number of new faces to the team make an impact already in their first seasons in Westwood. Freshman forward Milan Iloski was named Pac-12 Player of the Week on Oct. 10 after collecting three points in two conference matches. International recruits Eirik Baekkelund and Santiago Herrera each scored in their collegiate debuts against San Francisco, while Wake Forest transfer Alex Knox tallied an assist in the 5-3 victory. Freshman midfielder Eric Iloski and junior transfer Anderson Asiedu each recorded their first career assists in a 2-1 win against CSUN. Freshman defender Brandon Terwege and freshman midfielder Andrew Paoli made their first career starts and sophomore transfer Roman Martin have made his first career cap for the Bruins.
Scouting the Aztecs
San Diego State made the NCAA Tournament last season but is just 4-8-0 this season including 0-4-0 in Pac-12 play. The Aztecs come into Sunday's match on a four-game losing streak and have not scored in a goal during that span. Adam Allmaras has started 11 matches in goal for SDSU and holds a 1.53 goals-against average having allowed 17 goals and has made 33 saves. Jeroen Meefout leads the Aztecs with 10 points on four goals, while Dallin Cutler has the team lead with three assists.
Last Year Against San Diego State
Last year, UCLA went 1-0-1 against San Diego State with a 1-0 win on the road on a Jose Hernandez goal, while earning a 0-0 draw at home in the regular season finale.
Last Time Out
The Bruins won back-to-back matches for the first time this season after a perfect 2-0 road trip last week. On Thursday, Milan Iloski scored his first career goal in the 69th minute to give UCLA a 1-0 win over Oregon State. On Sunday, the Bruins shutout one of the top scoring offenses in the country at Washington and scored the game-winning goal in the fourth minute of overtime on a Matthew Powell header off a Milan Iloski corner kick.
Holt Named to Preseason All-Pac-12 Team
Defender Erik Holt earned a spot on the Preseason All-Pac-12 team, as voted on by the league's six head coaches. Holt was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection last season as he split time between defensive midfielder and center back and was one of only two players to appear and start in all 20 matches. Holt contributed to all five shutouts last season.
Terwege Earns TDS Freshman Best XI Team
Freshman defender Brandon Terwege was named to the 2017 Preseason Top Drawer Soccer Freshmen Best XI team. Terwege is ranked No. 45 of Top Drawer Soccer's IMG Academy Top 150 and was ranked was the 13th best defender in the by the organization. Terwege attended the U.S. U-20 Men's National Team camp in London, England and was a member of the U.S. U-19 National Team where he recorded two assists in a 2-1 win against El Salvador as a center back. He was also a U-18 USDDA National champion and started in Finals against Vancouver for Dallas FC.
2016 in Review
The Bruins finished last season with a 10-8-2 overall record and a 4-5-1 Pac-12 record, which was good for fourth in the standings. UCLA advanced to the second round in the NCAA Tournament before falling to No. 4 overall seed Louisville in overtime, 2-1. Eight Bruins earned Pac-12 awards, including All-Pac-12 honorees Brian Iloski (2nd team) and Erik Holt (honorable mention). In addition, five UCLA players earned all-academic honors from the conference including Blayne Martinez (2nd team), Iloski (honorable mention) and Matthew Powell (honorable mention). In January, three UCLA players were drafted in the MLS SuperDraft with Abu Danladi going first overall to Minnesota FC, followed by Jackson Yueill picked sixth overall to San Jose and Michael Amick selected in the second round to Portland. Prior to the draft, three Bruins signed MLS Homegrown contracts with Co-Pac-12 Player of the Year Jose Hernandez, Reggie Cannon and Seyi Adekoya moving to the professional ranks.
Fresh Faces
UCLA has assembled another star-studded recruiting class for the 2017 season, as the freshman class is ranked No. 17 in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer. The class is highlighted by three players in Top Drawer Soccer's IMG Academy Top 150 in defender Brandon Terwege (No. 45), midfielder Andrew Paoli (No. 54) and forward Milan Iloski (No. 146). In addition, GK Cameron Douglas from Sacramento Republic FC graduated early to join the 2017 class, while Eric Iloski (Real Salt Lake Academy) joins his brothers Brian and Milan in Westwood. The Bruins have also added a pair of international players in forward Santiago Herrera from Venezuela and Eirik Baekkelund from Norway. Three transfers will join the Bruins in 2017, Alex Knox and Roman Martin from Wake Forest and Anderson Asiedu from Monmouth. Knox was named one of 11 transfers to make the biggest impact on his new club this season by Top Drawer Soccer, while Asiedu was an all-conference performer for Monmouth last season.
National Teams
UCLA has a plethora of national team players on its 2017 squad with various U.S. Youth National Teams experience in their career - Christian Chavez (YNT), Cameron Douglas (U-18), Erik Holt (U-17, U-14), Brian Iloski (U-20, U-18), Milan Iloski (U-19, U-18), Malcolm Jones (U-20, U-18, U-17, U-15, U-14), Robert Knights (U-18), Andrew Paoli (U-18, U-16), Kevin Silva (U-19, U-17) and Brandon Terwege (U-20, U-19). In addition, Tobi Henneke played with the German U-16 National Team.
Happy Anniversary
UCLA is celebrating a pair of anniversaries this season as it is the 15th anniversary of its 2002 national championship and the 20th anniversary of its 1997 national title run.
- On Dec. 15, 2002 in Dallas, Texas, Aaron Lopez would one-time a free kick from Ryan Futagaki in to the back of the net with just 1:02 remaining on the clock for the match's lone goal. Lopez was named the MVP of the College Cup, while teammates Zach Wells, who earned a shutout in the title game, Adolfo Gregorio, Matt Taylor and Scot Thompson received All-Tournament acclaim. First-year head coach Tom Fitzgerald became just the second coach in NCAA soccer history to win a Division I national title in his first season with the program.
- Facing Virginia in their home state, the Bruins picked up their third NCAA national championship on Dec. 14, 1997. Despite several key injuries throughout the season and the postseason run, head coach Sigi Schmid devised a more defensive, counterattacking style that frustrated the Cavaliers the entire game. In the 80th minute UCLA capitalized on an error as Martin Bruno found Offensive MVP Seth George who beat the keeper one-on-one for the go-ahead score. George would then score two minutes later to secure the title for the Bruins.
50 Years of UCLA Men's Soccer
UCLA men's soccer enters its 50th season as an NCAA sport with an all-time record of 758-202-106 (.764). Under head coach Dennis Storer, UCLA went 12-1-1 in its first season associated with the NCAA in 1967, tallying an 5-0 win over Cal Poly Pomona in its first game, along with a 8-1 win over USC during an 11-match winning streak. UCLA earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance just one year later and collected its first postseason victory in 1970. Since then, the Bruins have made a total of 44 appearances in the NCAA tournament, including 34 consecutive trips dating back to 1983. UCLA has advanced to nine NCAA championship games and has been crowned national champion four times (1985, 1990, 1997 and 2002).
Looking Ahead
The Bruins will play its final non-conference games of the season next week when they travel to New Mexico on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. PT followed by taking on San Diego on Sunday, Oct. 22 at 5 p.m. PT.
