Two top-10 opponents will meet Friday.
After beating then-No. 11 Loyola Marymount and tying with then-No. 18 James Madison, UCLA men’s soccer (1-0-1) rose from No. 21 to No. 10 and will face No. 8 Portland (1-0) at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. The match is the third of five home games the Bruins have scheduled to open the 2024 season.
Portland enters Westwood coming off a 2-1 win over Washington. Despite having fewer shots, shots on goal and corner kicks, the Pilots were able to snatch the victory from the Huskies behind six saves from goalkeeper Kash Oladapo. The Happy Valley, Oregon, local recorded a 0.91 GAA and a save percentage of 0.707 last season, learning an All-WCC Honorable Mention.
With UCLA struggling to capitalize on scoring opportunities in its last two matchups, it may come down to a battle between the posts Friday.
“We just got to be more clinical carrying it into the final third, especially. The first chance that I got in the first half, I got to put it away,” said graduate student midfielder Edrey Caceres following the Bruins’ tie against the Dukes. “We just have to look forward to an extreme and improve the ways that we can in training.”
While the Pilots have Oladapo, the Bruins have junior goalkeeper Sam Joseph and sophomore goalkeeper Wyatt Nelson. The former had a 5-3-2 record last season, posting a GAA of 1.20 and save percentage of .760. The latter started eight games as a freshman, where he added three clean sheets, including 21 saves. So far, both UCLA goalkeepers have started a game this season, and both have held opponents scoreless.
“We have a couple of really top goalkeepers. … They both pitched a shutout,” said coach Ryan Jorden. “They both did the things that we asked them to do, and as a result, we’re in a situation two games in with no goals conceded, and so the goalkeeping union should be really happy.”
It is unknown who will start in the net during Friday’s matchup against Portland, but whoever it is will have to combat the Pilots’ attacking threats, which will be scattered across the field. Portland returned five of its top eight point scorers from 2023, creating a proven and familiar attacking force.
Chief among the Pilot’s returners are forward Buba Fofanah and midfielder Sebastian Nava. The former was second in points for the Pilots in 2023 after notching nine goals and six assists, while the latter logged three goals and eight assists last season. Joining the duo are midfielder Nick Fernandez and defender Sebastian Hernandez, who combined for five goals and 11 assists in 2023.
Despite the plethora of Portland attacking options and the ambiguity that exists at goalkeeper for UCLA, the Bruins remain confident.
“We’re really stepping up to the occasion,” Nelson said. “As a team, I know the talent that we have, and I know the coaching staff we have, and I think that the sky’s the limit for our team, and so we’re just going to continue to put money into the bank and just build off that each day.”
The Bruins will test their luck against the Pilots on Friday at 7 p.m.
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