This post was updated Sept. 2 at 11:26 a.m.
The Bruins were untouchable last August.
For an entire month, the ball did not meet the back of the Bruins’ net.
A month into the 2025 season, however, they have yet to record a win.
UCLA men’s soccer (0-2-1) is leaving the broader Los Angeles to face No. 18 Kentucky (2-0-0) at the Bell Soccer Complex in Lexington, Kentucky – its first long travel contest this season.
Junior forward Oliver Roche planted seeds of progress with an equalizing goal in the 66th minute against the Cal State Fullerton Titans on Thursday night.
The Virginia Tech transfer is a part of a deep recruiting class that coach Ryan Jorden brought to Westwood at the beginning of the season. With 18 players out of the 28 on the roster donning blue and gold for the first time, Jorden has evaluated different lineup rotations on the field in the squad’s opening matches.
And one of those newcomers is freshman goalkeeper Ryan Tiltack. For Tiltack, the focus is to take one step at a time as a unit.
“We’re trying to take it one game at a time,” Tiltack said following the match against California on Aug. 24.
In a slew of firsts for Jorden’s revamped roster, the next comes against a top-20 opponent, which the Bruins have yet to face this year.
Kentucky’s roster has also been rebuilt with 13 new players, including six transfers coach Johan Cedergren secured during the offseason. Forward Joaquín Brizuela – one of the transfers making their Kentucky debut – netted the sole goal in the team’s recent matchup against Bellarmine, and transfer graduate student Alex Ruiz opened the season with two goals against then-No. 20 Western Michigan.
The Wildcats have also outshot their opponents 21 to 7 across their two victories, recording 13 on target and three goals in that span. The Bruins enter the contest with just a single goal, outputting an average of 7.33 shots against their opponent per match, and they have also conceded four goals through three matches.
And Kentucky has forfeited one goal this season across two contests.
Monday’s contest will mark one of two final nonconference matches before Big Ten play starts in September, posing another challenge for Jorden’s new roster.
“As a coach, you’re always looking for them (players) to just show development from their last performance,” Jorden said prior to the Bruins’ season opener against UC Irvine on Aug. 21. “If we do that every time out, we give ourselves a really good chance of getting better consistently through the year.”
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