UCLA (1-1-0) vs. No. 1 Maryland (1-1-0)
Date/Time: Friday, Sept. 6 - 7:00 p.m. (PT)
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Wallis Annenberg Stadium)
TV/Stream: Pac-12 Networks
Radio: UCLABruins.com
Live Stats
UCLA (1-1-0) vs. No. 6 Georgetown (2-0-0)
Date/Time: Monday, Sept. 9 - 5:00 p.m. (PT)
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Wallis Annenberg Stadium)
TV/Stream: Pac-12 Networks
Radio: UCLABruins.com
Live Stats
UCLA HOSTS NO. 1 MARYLAND IN 2019 HOME OPENER
After two games on the road to open the season, the UCLA men's soccer team returns home this week for its first games at its home stadium, Wallis Annenberg Stadium. The Bruins have a pair of stiff tests on tap - first hosting No. 1-ranked and defending national champion Maryland on Friday night at 7:00 p.m, then welcoming No. 6 Georgetown for a 5:00 p.m. showdown on Monday. Both games will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks. Fans can also follow along with an internet audio broadcast and live stats, both available through UCLABruins.com.
UCLA IN HOME OPENERS
The Bruins are 5-2-2 in home openers since 2010, including an active five-game unbeaten streak in which UCLA has outscored its opponents 5-1. The Bruins topped San Diego 2-0 last year in the first-ever home opener at Annenberg Stadium. UCLA's last loss in a home debut came in 2013 to Cal Poly.
IN THE RANKINGS
This week, UCLA is receiving votes in the College Soccer News poll. The Bruins are also tabbed as the No. 10 team in the United Soccer Coaches Far West Region poll. The Bruins received votes in the United Soccer Coaches preseason national poll. Maryland is ranked as high as No. 1, and Georgetown is ranked as high as No. 6.
BRUINS SPLIT PAIR OF GAMES AT IU/ADIDAS CREDIT UNION CLASSIC
UCLA opened its season at the IU/Adidas Credit Union Classic hosted by Indiana, defeating Northwestern 1-0 in a neutral-field contest before falling 2-1 to No. 2 Indiana. Both games were decided in overtime. Junior forward Milan Iloski potted the golden goal against the Wildcats in the 95th minute, finishing off a nice team offensive sequence by re-directing a Riley Ferch cross into the net. Marcony Pimentel opened the scoring with a 53rd minute marker against the Hoosiers, but the home team equalized five minutes later before taking the game in double overtime, as Jack Maher finished a corner kick in the 104th minute.
GARCES NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UCLA sophomore keeper Justin Garces was named the first Pac-12 Player of the Week for the 2019 season. Garces posted a career-high seven saves to help the Bruins blank Northwestern 1-0 in the season-opener. He made all seven of his saves in the second half, shutting down a flurry of offense from the Wildcats. He had to make five saves - equaling his previous career-best - in the opening 10 minutes of the second half alone. It was the first Pac-12 Player of the Week Award in Garces's career, and the second consecutive season that a Bruin took home the league's weekly honor in the first week of the year (Matt Hundley, 2018).
ILOSKIS IN A GROVE
One of the Iloski brothers - forward Milan or midfielder Eric - has recorded at least one point in all four of UCLA's games so far this season. Milan scored against Westmont and Northwestern while providing a helper against Indiana. Eric scored the lone goal against Omaha in the preseason.
POWELL TABBED TO PRESEASON ALL-PAC-12 TEAM
Redshirt senior midfielder/defender Matthew Powell was named to the 2019 Preseason All-Pac-12 Team ahead of the new season. Powell was one of just three defenders to make the conference's preseason Best XI. The Castro Valley, Calif. native was an All-Pac-12 second team choice in 2018 after receiving an all-conference honorable mention as a sophomore in 2017. A mainstay of the defensive corps last year, Powell was one of just three Bruins to start all 19 of the team's games. Spending time at both center back and holding mid, Powell played the full 90 in all but three games and ended the year with 1,670 minutes of action, third-most on the team.
JEFFERSON ALADE INCLUDED ON TOP DRAWER'S PRESEASON FRESHMAN BEST XI
UCLA freshman forward Jefferson Alade was tabbed to the TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Freshman Best XI before the start of the new season. He was one of just three forwards listed among the XI. A product of the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy, Alade scored 36 goals over 83 career games with the club. He saw his productivity go up as he got older, culminating in a career-high 15 scores last year in 31 games. He was a three-star recruit per TopDrawer.
LAST TIME OUT VS. MARYLAND
UCLA shut out Maryland 1-0 in College Park last year in the previous matchup between the two teams. The Bruins were dominant defensively, surrendering just six shots and one shot on goal. Mohammed Kamara got his head on an Erik Holt cross in the 52nd minute for the game's lone goal. Despite needing an equalizer, the Terrapins were held to just one shot over the final 30 minutes of the tilt.
SERIES VS. MARYLAND
UCLA trails the overall series with Maryland 4-6-2. Despite playing on opposite coasts, the two teams have played often recently, with all 12 matchups coming since 2001. The two have faced off in four consecutive seasons, with Maryland holding a slight 2-1-1 edge.
BRUINS IN RED, WHITE, AND BLUE
Former UCLA players Reggie Cannon and Jackson Yueill as well as current volunteer assistant coach Walker Zimmerman were all named to the 26-man roster for the U.S. Men's National Team in lat August. The trio will suit up this month for matches against Mexico and Uruguay. Cannon has accrued six caps with the senior team, including a start at right back in the 2019 Gold Cup final against Mexico. Yueill received his first cap earlier this year. Zimmerman, an LAFC defender, has scored twice over 10 career games with Team USA.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, BRUINS
The Bruins will have 16 of 18 regular season games appear on TV this season, including all 10 home games. Pac-12 Networks will provide live television coverage of every regular season game at Wallis Annenberg Stadium in addition to four UCLA road games.
HOME COOKING
Starting on Sept. 26, UCLA will play a season-high eight consecutive games at home. That is the longest homestand for the program since at least 1980 (home-away designations are unavailable prior to 1980). Once that stretch begins, the Bruins don't play another road game until they head to Berkeley for a matchup against Cal on Halloween.
NEWEST BRUINS
The 2019 UCLA squad features 10 newcomers. That contingent includes a trio of Division I transfers in midfielders Jose Sosa (Pacific) and Marcony Pimentel (Pitt) as well as defender Ben Reveno (UC Irvine). Defender Ruben Soria (Santa Monica College) joins the Bruins from the junior college ranks, while Jefferson Alade (Vancouver Whitecaps) represents the MLS Academy system. Other newcomers include Cyprus-native Constantinos Michaelides (AEL Limassol), Riley Ferch (South Florida Football Academy), Luke Bone (Placer United), Ollie de Visser (Silicon Valley Academy), and Eric Pearce (San Francisco Glens).
NICE TO MEET YOU
Seven of UCLA's 10 newcomers made their Bruin debuts last week. Pimentel grabbed a goal against Indiana, while Ferch earned the primary assist on the game-winning goal against Northwestern. Michaelides and Reveno started both games in the back, while Soria also made a start. Alade and Bone appeared as substitutes.
UCLA100
UCLA will celebrate its first 100 years with a year-long university-wide Centennial Celebration. UCLA Athletics has several Centennial Celebration plans and giveaways in store for designated home events, including a set of 13 Centennial Pins highlighting each sport, as well as a souvenir mosaic poster that features personal photos submitted by UCLA fans. UCLA men's soccer will hold its Centennial game on Sept. 26 in a matchup against UC Irvine.
PRESEASON IN BRIEF
UCLA was a combined 2-0-0 in preseason play, posting shutout wins over NAIA-member Westmont and Omaha. The Bruins began exhibition action with a 3-0 home decision over Montecito, Calif.-based Westmont. Marcony Pimentel opened the scoring in the first half, followed by a second-half PK conversion from Milan Iloski and a late third tally from Jefferson Alade. Eric Iloski potted the lone goal in a 1-0 road win at Omaha. The Bruins posted a 4-0 aggregate scoreline in the two preseason scrimmages.
2018 IN REVIEW
The Bruins posted a 10-9-0 overall record last year, qualifying for the 2018 NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid. The Bruins were eliminated in the first round in a road contest at Portland. The Bruins were 5-5-0 in Pac-12 play, good for fourth place in the conference. UCLA was 4-1-0 at one point in conference action, but closed the season by losing four of five against league foes. Top scorers included Matt Hundley (17 points), Mohammed Kamara (11), and Milan Iloski (8), who missed the early part of the season due to an emergency appendectomy. The Bruins had two players selected in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, including No. 1 overall pick Frankie Amaya, who went to FC Cincinnati. Midfielder Anderson Asiedu was selected 24th overall by Atlanta.
RYAN JORDEN ERA BEGINS IN WESTWOOD
The 2019 seasons marks the beginning of the Ryan Jorden era at UCLA. Formerly the head coach at Pacific and Cal Baptist, he oversaw historic turnarounds for both programs. Jorden led the revival of Pacific's dormant men's soccer program in 2013, and turned them into one of the top programs on the west coast. Only Stanford and Jorden's Pacific squad made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons. The Santa Barbara, Calif. native also helmed Cal Baptist to NCCAA National Championships in 2011 and 2012. He is the 11th head coach in UCLA men's soccer program history.
Date/Time: Friday, Sept. 6 - 7:00 p.m. (PT)
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Wallis Annenberg Stadium)
TV/Stream: Pac-12 Networks
Radio: UCLABruins.com
Live Stats
UCLA (1-1-0) vs. No. 6 Georgetown (2-0-0)
Date/Time: Monday, Sept. 9 - 5:00 p.m. (PT)
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Wallis Annenberg Stadium)
TV/Stream: Pac-12 Networks
Radio: UCLABruins.com
Live Stats
UCLA HOSTS NO. 1 MARYLAND IN 2019 HOME OPENER
After two games on the road to open the season, the UCLA men's soccer team returns home this week for its first games at its home stadium, Wallis Annenberg Stadium. The Bruins have a pair of stiff tests on tap - first hosting No. 1-ranked and defending national champion Maryland on Friday night at 7:00 p.m, then welcoming No. 6 Georgetown for a 5:00 p.m. showdown on Monday. Both games will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks. Fans can also follow along with an internet audio broadcast and live stats, both available through UCLABruins.com.
UCLA IN HOME OPENERS
The Bruins are 5-2-2 in home openers since 2010, including an active five-game unbeaten streak in which UCLA has outscored its opponents 5-1. The Bruins topped San Diego 2-0 last year in the first-ever home opener at Annenberg Stadium. UCLA's last loss in a home debut came in 2013 to Cal Poly.
IN THE RANKINGS
This week, UCLA is receiving votes in the College Soccer News poll. The Bruins are also tabbed as the No. 10 team in the United Soccer Coaches Far West Region poll. The Bruins received votes in the United Soccer Coaches preseason national poll. Maryland is ranked as high as No. 1, and Georgetown is ranked as high as No. 6.
BRUINS SPLIT PAIR OF GAMES AT IU/ADIDAS CREDIT UNION CLASSIC
UCLA opened its season at the IU/Adidas Credit Union Classic hosted by Indiana, defeating Northwestern 1-0 in a neutral-field contest before falling 2-1 to No. 2 Indiana. Both games were decided in overtime. Junior forward Milan Iloski potted the golden goal against the Wildcats in the 95th minute, finishing off a nice team offensive sequence by re-directing a Riley Ferch cross into the net. Marcony Pimentel opened the scoring with a 53rd minute marker against the Hoosiers, but the home team equalized five minutes later before taking the game in double overtime, as Jack Maher finished a corner kick in the 104th minute.
GARCES NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UCLA sophomore keeper Justin Garces was named the first Pac-12 Player of the Week for the 2019 season. Garces posted a career-high seven saves to help the Bruins blank Northwestern 1-0 in the season-opener. He made all seven of his saves in the second half, shutting down a flurry of offense from the Wildcats. He had to make five saves - equaling his previous career-best - in the opening 10 minutes of the second half alone. It was the first Pac-12 Player of the Week Award in Garces's career, and the second consecutive season that a Bruin took home the league's weekly honor in the first week of the year (Matt Hundley, 2018).
ILOSKIS IN A GROVE
One of the Iloski brothers - forward Milan or midfielder Eric - has recorded at least one point in all four of UCLA's games so far this season. Milan scored against Westmont and Northwestern while providing a helper against Indiana. Eric scored the lone goal against Omaha in the preseason.
POWELL TABBED TO PRESEASON ALL-PAC-12 TEAM
Redshirt senior midfielder/defender Matthew Powell was named to the 2019 Preseason All-Pac-12 Team ahead of the new season. Powell was one of just three defenders to make the conference's preseason Best XI. The Castro Valley, Calif. native was an All-Pac-12 second team choice in 2018 after receiving an all-conference honorable mention as a sophomore in 2017. A mainstay of the defensive corps last year, Powell was one of just three Bruins to start all 19 of the team's games. Spending time at both center back and holding mid, Powell played the full 90 in all but three games and ended the year with 1,670 minutes of action, third-most on the team.
JEFFERSON ALADE INCLUDED ON TOP DRAWER'S PRESEASON FRESHMAN BEST XI
UCLA freshman forward Jefferson Alade was tabbed to the TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Freshman Best XI before the start of the new season. He was one of just three forwards listed among the XI. A product of the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy, Alade scored 36 goals over 83 career games with the club. He saw his productivity go up as he got older, culminating in a career-high 15 scores last year in 31 games. He was a three-star recruit per TopDrawer.
LAST TIME OUT VS. MARYLAND
UCLA shut out Maryland 1-0 in College Park last year in the previous matchup between the two teams. The Bruins were dominant defensively, surrendering just six shots and one shot on goal. Mohammed Kamara got his head on an Erik Holt cross in the 52nd minute for the game's lone goal. Despite needing an equalizer, the Terrapins were held to just one shot over the final 30 minutes of the tilt.
SERIES VS. MARYLAND
UCLA trails the overall series with Maryland 4-6-2. Despite playing on opposite coasts, the two teams have played often recently, with all 12 matchups coming since 2001. The two have faced off in four consecutive seasons, with Maryland holding a slight 2-1-1 edge.
BRUINS IN RED, WHITE, AND BLUE
Former UCLA players Reggie Cannon and Jackson Yueill as well as current volunteer assistant coach Walker Zimmerman were all named to the 26-man roster for the U.S. Men's National Team in lat August. The trio will suit up this month for matches against Mexico and Uruguay. Cannon has accrued six caps with the senior team, including a start at right back in the 2019 Gold Cup final against Mexico. Yueill received his first cap earlier this year. Zimmerman, an LAFC defender, has scored twice over 10 career games with Team USA.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, BRUINS
The Bruins will have 16 of 18 regular season games appear on TV this season, including all 10 home games. Pac-12 Networks will provide live television coverage of every regular season game at Wallis Annenberg Stadium in addition to four UCLA road games.
HOME COOKING
Starting on Sept. 26, UCLA will play a season-high eight consecutive games at home. That is the longest homestand for the program since at least 1980 (home-away designations are unavailable prior to 1980). Once that stretch begins, the Bruins don't play another road game until they head to Berkeley for a matchup against Cal on Halloween.
NEWEST BRUINS
The 2019 UCLA squad features 10 newcomers. That contingent includes a trio of Division I transfers in midfielders Jose Sosa (Pacific) and Marcony Pimentel (Pitt) as well as defender Ben Reveno (UC Irvine). Defender Ruben Soria (Santa Monica College) joins the Bruins from the junior college ranks, while Jefferson Alade (Vancouver Whitecaps) represents the MLS Academy system. Other newcomers include Cyprus-native Constantinos Michaelides (AEL Limassol), Riley Ferch (South Florida Football Academy), Luke Bone (Placer United), Ollie de Visser (Silicon Valley Academy), and Eric Pearce (San Francisco Glens).
NICE TO MEET YOU
Seven of UCLA's 10 newcomers made their Bruin debuts last week. Pimentel grabbed a goal against Indiana, while Ferch earned the primary assist on the game-winning goal against Northwestern. Michaelides and Reveno started both games in the back, while Soria also made a start. Alade and Bone appeared as substitutes.
UCLA100
UCLA will celebrate its first 100 years with a year-long university-wide Centennial Celebration. UCLA Athletics has several Centennial Celebration plans and giveaways in store for designated home events, including a set of 13 Centennial Pins highlighting each sport, as well as a souvenir mosaic poster that features personal photos submitted by UCLA fans. UCLA men's soccer will hold its Centennial game on Sept. 26 in a matchup against UC Irvine.
PRESEASON IN BRIEF
UCLA was a combined 2-0-0 in preseason play, posting shutout wins over NAIA-member Westmont and Omaha. The Bruins began exhibition action with a 3-0 home decision over Montecito, Calif.-based Westmont. Marcony Pimentel opened the scoring in the first half, followed by a second-half PK conversion from Milan Iloski and a late third tally from Jefferson Alade. Eric Iloski potted the lone goal in a 1-0 road win at Omaha. The Bruins posted a 4-0 aggregate scoreline in the two preseason scrimmages.
2018 IN REVIEW
The Bruins posted a 10-9-0 overall record last year, qualifying for the 2018 NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid. The Bruins were eliminated in the first round in a road contest at Portland. The Bruins were 5-5-0 in Pac-12 play, good for fourth place in the conference. UCLA was 4-1-0 at one point in conference action, but closed the season by losing four of five against league foes. Top scorers included Matt Hundley (17 points), Mohammed Kamara (11), and Milan Iloski (8), who missed the early part of the season due to an emergency appendectomy. The Bruins had two players selected in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, including No. 1 overall pick Frankie Amaya, who went to FC Cincinnati. Midfielder Anderson Asiedu was selected 24th overall by Atlanta.
RYAN JORDEN ERA BEGINS IN WESTWOOD
The 2019 seasons marks the beginning of the Ryan Jorden era at UCLA. Formerly the head coach at Pacific and Cal Baptist, he oversaw historic turnarounds for both programs. Jorden led the revival of Pacific's dormant men's soccer program in 2013, and turned them into one of the top programs on the west coast. Only Stanford and Jorden's Pacific squad made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons. The Santa Barbara, Calif. native also helmed Cal Baptist to NCCAA National Championships in 2011 and 2012. He is the 11th head coach in UCLA men's soccer program history.