Saturday, September 22
Santa Barbara, CA
7:30 PM
UCLA
at
UC Santa Barbara
Eric Iloski and the Bruins face UC Santa Barbara on the road Saturday night (photo:Scott Chandler)
Photo by: Scott Chandler
Men's Soccer Heads North for Contest at UCSB
September 20, 2018 | Men's Soccer
GAME INFORMATION
No. 15 UCLA (4-2-0) vs. UC Santa Barbara (4-3-0)
Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018 – 7:30 p.m. PT
Location: Santa Barbara, Calif. (Harder Stadium)
Live Stats/Stream: UCLABruins.com
Twitter Updates: @UCLAMSoccer
BRUINS START ROAD TRIP WITH CONTEST AT UC SANTA BARBARA
UCLA kicks off a season-long three-game road swing this weekend, trekking north for a non-conference battle against Big West-member UC Santa Barbara. The contest is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start. A stream and live stats will both be available on UCLABruins.com, while the @UCLAMSoccer Twitter account will provide live updates throughout the tilt.
WEEK IN REVIEW
UCLA hosted a pair of non-conference home games last week, topping Omaha on Wednesday 2-1 before suffering a 2-1 defeat to CSUN on Sunday night. The Bruins allowed just one shot on goal against the Mavericks, but that one attempt - a first half free kick - found the back of the net. However, UCLA converted on a pair of scoring chances in the second half, with Santiago Herrera knocking in a rebound to equalize and then Matthew Powell heading in a corner for the eventual game-winner. The Matadors flipped the script on the Bruins on Sunday, with UCLA taking a 1-0 lead through Matt Hundley's third goal of the season before watching CSUN score a pair of second half goals to take the win.
DEFENSE FIRST MENTALITY
The Bruins have been among the best in the nation in keeping the ball out of their own net this season, as their 0.667 team goals against average ranks 23rd in the country and second in the Pac-12. UCLA allowed just one goal through its first four games, the first time the program accomplished that since 2000. Last week represented the first time the Bruins allowed goals in back-to-back games, and Sunday's clash was the first time allowing multiple goals in one contest this year. UCLA has allowed just 16 shots on goal this season, an average of 2.67 per game. The Bruins are outshooting their opponents 84-40 for the year, a +44 differential.
WINNING THE SHOTS BATTLE
UCLA has outshot its opposition in every game so far this season, including a season-best 21-3 advantage against Omaha last Wednesday. The Bruins' smallest advantage has been against CSUN with a +3 shots differential. When UCLA's opponents have got shots off, few of them are reaching the keeper. UCLA opponents have mustered just one shot goal in three of six games this season, and CSUN's six shots on frame on Sunday represented the first time this season that a Bruin opponent has reached more than four shots on goal.
WALLIS ANNENBERG STADIUM OPENS FOR 2018 SEASON
After playing home games at Drake Stadium from 2000-17, the UCLA soccer teams have moved into a new home, Wallis Annenberg Stadium. The stadium, which seats 2,145, is located at the previously-named North Athletic Field, where UCLA played selected home games from 1967-99. The stadium was made possible thanks to a $5 million lead gift from the Annenberg Foundation. The just-completed first phase of the stadium project includes grandstands and a press box on the west side, a Daktronics LED video board and Musco Sports lighting. Future phases of the stadium project may include expanded seating, a training room, student-athlete locker room, coaches' locker rooms, meeting spaces, ticketing space, and a new press box.
IN THE POLLS
UCLA remained in every major national poll this week, appearing as high as No. 15 (Top Drawer). The Bruins were also in the top-25 for Soccer America (No. 17), College Soccer News (No. 21), and the United Soccer Coaches (No. 23). In the United Soccer Coaches Far West region poll, UCLA is No. 6. UCLA has been ranked as high as No. 8 in the country so far this season. UCSB enters the week unranked, but received votes in the College Soccer News poll.
AMAYA CALLED UP TO U-20 NATIONAL TEAM
UCLA freshman midfielder Frankie Amaya received a call-up the U.S. U-20 Men's National Team earlier this month, joining the squad for the U-20 MNT Invitational tournament at the IMG Academy in Bradenton from Sept. 7-11. Amaya made his debut with the U-20s earlier this year, participating in a two-week training camp in Spain, scoring a goal against France, and playing against the Atletico Madrid U-21 team. The U-20s are in the middle of the 2019 World Cup cycle with the CONCACAF U-20 championship on the horizon in November.
KAMARA FILLS THE NET
Junior forward Mohammed Kamara, a junior college transfer, has immediately proven himself as one of top goalscoring threats in Division I soccer. The Monrovia, Liberia native has potted a team-high four goals over the first six games of the year, placing him second in the Pac-12 and 40th in the country with a 0.67 goals per game average. Meanwhile, his 4.00 shots per game average paces the league and sits 16th nationally. His debut Division I goal at Coastal Carolina, a moonshot chip over the keeper, was the No. 2 play on that night's Sportscenter Top-10. He has scored in three of the Bruins' six games, including a pair of game-winners. Kamara led Tyler Junior College to back-to-back national titles, scoring 70 goals in 48 games, including a sophomore campaign that saw him score in every game (he had 48 overall in 22 contests) while winning NJCAA National Player of the Year honors.
HUNDLEY UNFAZED IN FRESHMAN SEASON
Freshman midfielder Matt Hundley was UCLA's top offensive performer last week, recording a goal and two assists to take over the team lead in points this season. His nine points rank second in the Pac-12. The Colorado Radids Academy product has multiple points in three of six games this season.With five points, Hundley led UCLA to a 4-0 win at Coastal Carolina on opening day. That two goal, one assist effort made him just the third Bruin in the last five years to record five points in a game, the first to do so on Opening Day since current assistant coach Matt Taylor had a trick in 2003, and the only Bruin frosh this millenium with five points on Opening Day.
BRUINS BRING IN NATION'S TOP RECRUITING CLASS
Featuring four of the top-20 ranked academy players in the country, UCLA's 2018 recruiting class was deemed the best in the country by Top Drawer Soccer. This is the seventh time under Salcedo that UCLA has brought in the top class in the nation. Standouts include 2017 NJCAA National Player of the Year Mohammed Kamara (Monrovia, Liberia / Tyler JC) and freshmen Frankie Amaya (No. 6 national prospect / Santa Ana, Calif. / Pateadores Academy), Justin Garces (No. 16 prospect / Miami, Fla. / Atlanta United Academy), Matt Hundley (No. 18 prospect / Littleton, Colo / Colorado Rapids Academy), and AJ Vasquez (No. 19 prospect / Mira Loma, Calif. / FC Golden State Academy), all of whom have national team experience. Other heralded newcomers include freshman midfielder Cody Sundquist, Santa Monica City College transfer Carlos Rincon, freshman defender Paul Caspar, and Division I transfers Alexis Triadis (MF, Hartford) and Aristides Costeas (GK, St. John's).
HOLT RECEIVES PLENTY OF PRESEASON RECOGNITION
One of UCLA's top returners, senior defender Erik Holt received plenty of preseason publicity ahead of his last season in Westwood. Chiefly, he was named to the MAC Hermann Award Watch List. The MAC Hermann Trophy is awarded annually to the most outstanding male and female players of the year. Past Bruin winners include Leo Stolz (2014), Sasha Victorine (1999), and Brad Friedel (1992). In addition, Holt was selected to the College Soccer News Preseason All-America Third Team.
PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE
UCLA's Erik Holt and Matt Hundley enter the week tied for the conference lead with three assists apiece. Holt, who entered the season with two assists in his career, has provided assists for three of Kamara's four goals this season. Meanwhile, Hundley has earned a helper on all three goals scored by Bruin returners this year: Robert Knights, Santiago Herrera, and Matthew Powell.
KEEPING THEM OUT
Both of UCLA's keepers have impressed this season in their time between the pipes. Senior Cole Martinez started the first two games of the year and three overall, and he currently has the second-best GAA (0.33) and save percentage (.800) in the league. Garces has started the team's other three games and is averaging 2.33 saves per game, third-best in the league. He was the top-ranked goalkeeper in his class and has spent time with the U-20 USMNT.
BRUINS AND GAUCHOS CLASH AGAIN
2017 was a rare off-season for the UCLA and UC Santa Barbara rivalry, as the two programs had met annually from 2008-16. The Bruins and Gauchos have played each other in all but three seasons since Jorge Salcedo took over in 2004, with UCLA accruing a 7-3-2 record in that time. The 2010 matchup between the two schools drew 15,896 fans, an NCAA record for an on-campus game, postseason included.
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST UCSB
UCLA captured a dramatic 2-1 win in the last meeting with UC Santa Barbara (in 2016), as Brian Iloski scored with three seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime, with Jackson Yueill recording the game-winning golden goal in the 97th minute. Iloski's equalizer came on a free kick from just outside the box after the Gauchos were whistled for a late foul, striking the bottom of the crosssbar and going in. In overtime, Yueill played a nice 1-2 with Abu Danladi to get behind the UCSB back line for a partial breakaway, sending in a left-footed shot that clanged off the far post and in for the game winner. Midfielder Kevin Feucht, who has since transferred to Duke, scored the opening goal for UCSB in the 14th minute.
SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS
UCSB enters the weekend with a 4-3-0 record after dropping a double-overtime 1-0 decision on the road Wednesday night to an undefeated St. Mary's side. The Gauchos are 3-0 on their home field so far this season, outscoring opponents 6-1 in those contests. UCSB is led offensively by forwards Rodney Michael (three goals) and Carter Clemmensen (two goals). Transfers Faouzi Taleb and Carson Vom Steeg have been difference-makers in the defensive half of the field. Taleb (No. 55) and Michael (No. 79) were both included in the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Top-100 list. The Gauchos were picked to finish second in the Big West Coaches Poll.
FROSH PAIR MAKE TOP DRAWER PRESEASON BEST XI
Goalkeeper Justin Garces and midfielder Matt Hundley both were named to the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Freshman Best XI. With two selections, UCLA was the lone program in the country to have two players on the Best XI. Washington (Ethan Bartlow) was the only other Pac-12 school represented.Two key members of the top recruiting class in the country, Garces and Hundley have significant experience with the U.S. National Team. Both were members of the U-17 Residency Program, and both ended their academy careers inside the top-20 of the IMG Academy Top-150, with Garces coming in at No. 16 and Hundley at No. 18.
PAIR OF BRUINS MAKE PRESEASON ALL-PAC-12 TEAM, UCLA PICKED TO FINISH THIRD
Erik Holt and Anderson Asiedu were both named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 Team. Normally an 11-man team, the 2018 iteration featured 12 players as the there was a tie for the 11th and final spot. Asiedu was a Second Team All-Pac-12 choice last year after recording two goals and two assists for four points. In the annual preseason coaches poll, UCLA was picked to finish third in the Pac-12. The Bruins were one of two teams to receive first place votes. Stanford, which took five first place votes and received 25 overall points, was selected to finish on top. Washington received one more point (19) than UCLA in the poll.
HOLT, ASIEDU MAKE TOP DRAWER'S TOP-100
UCLA's two Preseason All-Pac-12 picks were both also tabbed to Top Drawer Soccer's Preseason Top 100 player rankings. Holt, a Preseason All-American and Mac Hermann Watch List member, came in at No. 53. Asiedu cracked the list at No. 88. TDS hasn't released its Top 100 freshmen list as of Sept. 20, but the Bruins are bound to have multiple athletes included on that list.
No. 15 UCLA (4-2-0) vs. UC Santa Barbara (4-3-0)
Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018 – 7:30 p.m. PT
Location: Santa Barbara, Calif. (Harder Stadium)
Live Stats/Stream: UCLABruins.com
Twitter Updates: @UCLAMSoccer
BRUINS START ROAD TRIP WITH CONTEST AT UC SANTA BARBARA
UCLA kicks off a season-long three-game road swing this weekend, trekking north for a non-conference battle against Big West-member UC Santa Barbara. The contest is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start. A stream and live stats will both be available on UCLABruins.com, while the @UCLAMSoccer Twitter account will provide live updates throughout the tilt.
WEEK IN REVIEW
UCLA hosted a pair of non-conference home games last week, topping Omaha on Wednesday 2-1 before suffering a 2-1 defeat to CSUN on Sunday night. The Bruins allowed just one shot on goal against the Mavericks, but that one attempt - a first half free kick - found the back of the net. However, UCLA converted on a pair of scoring chances in the second half, with Santiago Herrera knocking in a rebound to equalize and then Matthew Powell heading in a corner for the eventual game-winner. The Matadors flipped the script on the Bruins on Sunday, with UCLA taking a 1-0 lead through Matt Hundley's third goal of the season before watching CSUN score a pair of second half goals to take the win.
DEFENSE FIRST MENTALITY
The Bruins have been among the best in the nation in keeping the ball out of their own net this season, as their 0.667 team goals against average ranks 23rd in the country and second in the Pac-12. UCLA allowed just one goal through its first four games, the first time the program accomplished that since 2000. Last week represented the first time the Bruins allowed goals in back-to-back games, and Sunday's clash was the first time allowing multiple goals in one contest this year. UCLA has allowed just 16 shots on goal this season, an average of 2.67 per game. The Bruins are outshooting their opponents 84-40 for the year, a +44 differential.
WINNING THE SHOTS BATTLE
UCLA has outshot its opposition in every game so far this season, including a season-best 21-3 advantage against Omaha last Wednesday. The Bruins' smallest advantage has been against CSUN with a +3 shots differential. When UCLA's opponents have got shots off, few of them are reaching the keeper. UCLA opponents have mustered just one shot goal in three of six games this season, and CSUN's six shots on frame on Sunday represented the first time this season that a Bruin opponent has reached more than four shots on goal.
WALLIS ANNENBERG STADIUM OPENS FOR 2018 SEASON
After playing home games at Drake Stadium from 2000-17, the UCLA soccer teams have moved into a new home, Wallis Annenberg Stadium. The stadium, which seats 2,145, is located at the previously-named North Athletic Field, where UCLA played selected home games from 1967-99. The stadium was made possible thanks to a $5 million lead gift from the Annenberg Foundation. The just-completed first phase of the stadium project includes grandstands and a press box on the west side, a Daktronics LED video board and Musco Sports lighting. Future phases of the stadium project may include expanded seating, a training room, student-athlete locker room, coaches' locker rooms, meeting spaces, ticketing space, and a new press box.
IN THE POLLS
UCLA remained in every major national poll this week, appearing as high as No. 15 (Top Drawer). The Bruins were also in the top-25 for Soccer America (No. 17), College Soccer News (No. 21), and the United Soccer Coaches (No. 23). In the United Soccer Coaches Far West region poll, UCLA is No. 6. UCLA has been ranked as high as No. 8 in the country so far this season. UCSB enters the week unranked, but received votes in the College Soccer News poll.
AMAYA CALLED UP TO U-20 NATIONAL TEAM
UCLA freshman midfielder Frankie Amaya received a call-up the U.S. U-20 Men's National Team earlier this month, joining the squad for the U-20 MNT Invitational tournament at the IMG Academy in Bradenton from Sept. 7-11. Amaya made his debut with the U-20s earlier this year, participating in a two-week training camp in Spain, scoring a goal against France, and playing against the Atletico Madrid U-21 team. The U-20s are in the middle of the 2019 World Cup cycle with the CONCACAF U-20 championship on the horizon in November.
KAMARA FILLS THE NET
Junior forward Mohammed Kamara, a junior college transfer, has immediately proven himself as one of top goalscoring threats in Division I soccer. The Monrovia, Liberia native has potted a team-high four goals over the first six games of the year, placing him second in the Pac-12 and 40th in the country with a 0.67 goals per game average. Meanwhile, his 4.00 shots per game average paces the league and sits 16th nationally. His debut Division I goal at Coastal Carolina, a moonshot chip over the keeper, was the No. 2 play on that night's Sportscenter Top-10. He has scored in three of the Bruins' six games, including a pair of game-winners. Kamara led Tyler Junior College to back-to-back national titles, scoring 70 goals in 48 games, including a sophomore campaign that saw him score in every game (he had 48 overall in 22 contests) while winning NJCAA National Player of the Year honors.
HUNDLEY UNFAZED IN FRESHMAN SEASON
Freshman midfielder Matt Hundley was UCLA's top offensive performer last week, recording a goal and two assists to take over the team lead in points this season. His nine points rank second in the Pac-12. The Colorado Radids Academy product has multiple points in three of six games this season.With five points, Hundley led UCLA to a 4-0 win at Coastal Carolina on opening day. That two goal, one assist effort made him just the third Bruin in the last five years to record five points in a game, the first to do so on Opening Day since current assistant coach Matt Taylor had a trick in 2003, and the only Bruin frosh this millenium with five points on Opening Day.
BRUINS BRING IN NATION'S TOP RECRUITING CLASS
Featuring four of the top-20 ranked academy players in the country, UCLA's 2018 recruiting class was deemed the best in the country by Top Drawer Soccer. This is the seventh time under Salcedo that UCLA has brought in the top class in the nation. Standouts include 2017 NJCAA National Player of the Year Mohammed Kamara (Monrovia, Liberia / Tyler JC) and freshmen Frankie Amaya (No. 6 national prospect / Santa Ana, Calif. / Pateadores Academy), Justin Garces (No. 16 prospect / Miami, Fla. / Atlanta United Academy), Matt Hundley (No. 18 prospect / Littleton, Colo / Colorado Rapids Academy), and AJ Vasquez (No. 19 prospect / Mira Loma, Calif. / FC Golden State Academy), all of whom have national team experience. Other heralded newcomers include freshman midfielder Cody Sundquist, Santa Monica City College transfer Carlos Rincon, freshman defender Paul Caspar, and Division I transfers Alexis Triadis (MF, Hartford) and Aristides Costeas (GK, St. John's).
HOLT RECEIVES PLENTY OF PRESEASON RECOGNITION
One of UCLA's top returners, senior defender Erik Holt received plenty of preseason publicity ahead of his last season in Westwood. Chiefly, he was named to the MAC Hermann Award Watch List. The MAC Hermann Trophy is awarded annually to the most outstanding male and female players of the year. Past Bruin winners include Leo Stolz (2014), Sasha Victorine (1999), and Brad Friedel (1992). In addition, Holt was selected to the College Soccer News Preseason All-America Third Team.
PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE
UCLA's Erik Holt and Matt Hundley enter the week tied for the conference lead with three assists apiece. Holt, who entered the season with two assists in his career, has provided assists for three of Kamara's four goals this season. Meanwhile, Hundley has earned a helper on all three goals scored by Bruin returners this year: Robert Knights, Santiago Herrera, and Matthew Powell.
KEEPING THEM OUT
Both of UCLA's keepers have impressed this season in their time between the pipes. Senior Cole Martinez started the first two games of the year and three overall, and he currently has the second-best GAA (0.33) and save percentage (.800) in the league. Garces has started the team's other three games and is averaging 2.33 saves per game, third-best in the league. He was the top-ranked goalkeeper in his class and has spent time with the U-20 USMNT.
BRUINS AND GAUCHOS CLASH AGAIN
2017 was a rare off-season for the UCLA and UC Santa Barbara rivalry, as the two programs had met annually from 2008-16. The Bruins and Gauchos have played each other in all but three seasons since Jorge Salcedo took over in 2004, with UCLA accruing a 7-3-2 record in that time. The 2010 matchup between the two schools drew 15,896 fans, an NCAA record for an on-campus game, postseason included.
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST UCSB
UCLA captured a dramatic 2-1 win in the last meeting with UC Santa Barbara (in 2016), as Brian Iloski scored with three seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime, with Jackson Yueill recording the game-winning golden goal in the 97th minute. Iloski's equalizer came on a free kick from just outside the box after the Gauchos were whistled for a late foul, striking the bottom of the crosssbar and going in. In overtime, Yueill played a nice 1-2 with Abu Danladi to get behind the UCSB back line for a partial breakaway, sending in a left-footed shot that clanged off the far post and in for the game winner. Midfielder Kevin Feucht, who has since transferred to Duke, scored the opening goal for UCSB in the 14th minute.
SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS
UCSB enters the weekend with a 4-3-0 record after dropping a double-overtime 1-0 decision on the road Wednesday night to an undefeated St. Mary's side. The Gauchos are 3-0 on their home field so far this season, outscoring opponents 6-1 in those contests. UCSB is led offensively by forwards Rodney Michael (three goals) and Carter Clemmensen (two goals). Transfers Faouzi Taleb and Carson Vom Steeg have been difference-makers in the defensive half of the field. Taleb (No. 55) and Michael (No. 79) were both included in the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Top-100 list. The Gauchos were picked to finish second in the Big West Coaches Poll.
FROSH PAIR MAKE TOP DRAWER PRESEASON BEST XI
Goalkeeper Justin Garces and midfielder Matt Hundley both were named to the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Freshman Best XI. With two selections, UCLA was the lone program in the country to have two players on the Best XI. Washington (Ethan Bartlow) was the only other Pac-12 school represented.Two key members of the top recruiting class in the country, Garces and Hundley have significant experience with the U.S. National Team. Both were members of the U-17 Residency Program, and both ended their academy careers inside the top-20 of the IMG Academy Top-150, with Garces coming in at No. 16 and Hundley at No. 18.
PAIR OF BRUINS MAKE PRESEASON ALL-PAC-12 TEAM, UCLA PICKED TO FINISH THIRD
Erik Holt and Anderson Asiedu were both named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 Team. Normally an 11-man team, the 2018 iteration featured 12 players as the there was a tie for the 11th and final spot. Asiedu was a Second Team All-Pac-12 choice last year after recording two goals and two assists for four points. In the annual preseason coaches poll, UCLA was picked to finish third in the Pac-12. The Bruins were one of two teams to receive first place votes. Stanford, which took five first place votes and received 25 overall points, was selected to finish on top. Washington received one more point (19) than UCLA in the poll.
HOLT, ASIEDU MAKE TOP DRAWER'S TOP-100
UCLA's two Preseason All-Pac-12 picks were both also tabbed to Top Drawer Soccer's Preseason Top 100 player rankings. Holt, a Preseason All-American and Mac Hermann Watch List member, came in at No. 53. Asiedu cracked the list at No. 88. TDS hasn't released its Top 100 freshmen list as of Sept. 20, but the Bruins are bound to have multiple athletes included on that list.
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