UCLA
San Diego
Bruins Ready for Final Non-Conference Match at USD
October 20, 2017 | Men's Soccer
UCLA vs. San Diego
San Diego, Calif. (Torero Stadium)
Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017 – 5 p.m. (PT)
Live Stream: TheW.tv
Live Stats: USDToreros.com
Follow @UCLAMSoccer
Bruins Set for Final Non-Conference Match at San Diego
The Bruins will play its final non-conference game of the season on Sunday when they travel to San Diego to take on USD at 5 p.m. PT from Torero Stadium. The match will be live streamed on TheW.tv.
Iloski to Iloski to Iloski
Last Sunday against San Diego State, all three Iloski brothers played a part in the game-winning goal in overtime. Brian Iloski started the play by passing to Milan Iloski toward the goal line, who then found Eric Iloski at the top of the box as his strong shot beat the outstretched arms of the keeper to the left post. It is the first time this season all three brothers were involved in a goal.
Silva Reaches Century Mark
Sophomore goalkeeper Kevin Silva surpassed the 100 career save mark as he currently sits at 103 in his two seasons in Westwood. Silva has posted three shutouts this season, including two during Pac-12 play, and posted a season-high seven saves at Georgetown earlier this season.
Iloski's Dominance
Senior forward Brian Iloski leads the Bruins with five goals this season, including three game-winners and is ranked 21st in the nation in game-winning goals. He is also top-10 in the Pac-12 in points (12), points per game (1.00), goals (5), goals per game (0.42), shots (32) and shots per game (2.67). Iloski 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 one half of the Pac-12 conference season in the books, several UCLA players rank inside the top-10 statistically in conference play. Senior Brian Iloski leads all players during Pac-12 play in shots (16) and shots per game (3.2), while junior Anderson Asiedu is seventh in shots per game (2.2) and 10th in shots (11). Goalkeeper Kevin Silva is second during conference play in save percentage (.826) and goals-against average (.79), while also ranking third in saves per game (3.8) and shutouts (2). Freshman Milan Iloski is top-10 in points (4), points per game (0.8), assists (2) and assists per game (0.4).
Midseason Honors
Last 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. Four Bruins also made the Freshman Top 100 player list - Brandon Terwege (No. 33), Santiago Herrera (No. 41), Milan Iloski (No. 62) and Eric Iloski (No. 68).
Starting Lineup Stalwarts
The Bruins have had three players start in each of the first 12 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. Freshman Eric Iloski scored his first goal in overtime on Sunday to defeat San Diego State, while junior transfer Anderson Asiedu also scored his first career goal with the Bruins in the win. 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 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 Toreros
San Diego enters Sunday's match with a 7-3-2 record and are currently riding a six-match unbeaten streak having gone 4-0-2 since Sept. 17. The Toreros are also on top of the West Coast Conference standings with a 2-0-1 mark. Offensively, Miguel Berry leads with five goals and 13 points, while Freddy Polzer and Djordje Babic are tied with a team-best three assists. Defensively, Thomas Olsen has played every minute in goal for USD and has posted five shutouts and a 0.78 goals-against average.
Last Time Against San Diego
UCLA last played the Toreros in 2014 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Drake Stadium as the Bruins won 2-1 in overtime. USD scored in the first half but Leo Stolz was able to find the equalizing goal in the second half to send the match to overtime. Seven minutes into overtime, Stolz scored once again to send the Bruins into the third round. UCLA advanced all the way to the championship game before falling to Virginia in penalty kicks.
Last Time Out
The Bruins played its third-straight overtime game on Wednesday as it earned a 1-1 draw at No. 24 New Mexico. UNM scored a first half goal, but the Bruins found the equalizer in the second half on a set piece as Matthew Powell headed a Brian Iloski free kick to tie the match. UCLA played a man down in the final 26 minutes when Anderson Asiedu was issued a red car. The Bruins registered its first draw of the season and are now 1-2-1 against top-25 opponents this season.
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 return Westwood for their final two home games of the regular season as they play a pair of doubleheaders with the women's soccer team next week. Thursday, the men play the opening match hosting Oregon State at 4:30 p.m. PT, followed by taking on Washington on Sunday at 5 p.m. PT in the nightcap. Sunday's match will be Senior Day for UCLA and both matches will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
