UCLA men’s soccer (2-5-2, 2-2-0 Big Ten) will host No. 18 Maryland (6-0-2, 2-0-1) Friday night at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. The Bruins beat a Terrapins team ravaged by food poisoning 6-0 last season in the quarterfinal of the Big Ten Tournament. This year, UCLA will enter the game with a significantly weaker record, having won just two of its first nine games. Meanwhile, Maryland has won six of its eight games so far. Here is a scouting report from Daily Bruin senior staffer Dylan Winward, following the team’s decision not to provide media availability before the game.
Maryland
Goals per game: 3.0
Goals allowed per game: 0.88
X-factor: Forward Sadam Masereka
Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities” juxtaposes stability with the radical revolution triggered by societal dissatisfaction.
And while nobody has stormed the Bastille yet to call for coach Ryan Jorden’s head, it has been “the worst of times” for the Bruins. They began the season averaging just one goal per game, despite having the nation’s best recruiting class and signing redshirt sophomore forward Sergi Solans Ormo, who was the seventh highest goal scorer in the nation last season at Oregon State.
Solans Ormo finally appears to be off the mark after a slow start to the season, scoring in three consecutive games last month and forcing an own goal in what would have been the fourth.
Key to the Bruins’ success will be getting the most out of junior midfielder Philip Naef. The defender-turned-midfielder became a sleeper hit last season, registering 10 assists, including four in last year’s quarterfinal game against Maryland, but his sole two this year have prompted yelling from Jorden to play higher up the pitch.
Meanwhile, there’s a legitimate argument that Maryland is in their “best of times.”
The Terrapins are unbeaten, second in the Big Ten standings and have the conference’s highest win percentage. They have also scored the second most goals per game – averaging three per outing – and had their best opening six games of play since 2017.
Forward Sadam Masereka scored four goals in eight appearances, already matching his goal-scoring record from last season, marking him as the ninth most productive attacking player in the Big Ten. Before transferring to Maryland in 2024, the Ugandan striker was a 2023 United Soccer Coaches First-Team All-American at Lindsey Wilson College.
The Terrapins are also strong defensively, having only shipped seven goals this season while conceding the fewest fouls in the Big Ten. Defender Lasse Kelp – formerly of SC Fortuna Köln in Germany – has played every minute of the season so far, registering three clean sheets.
UCLA will go into the game needing a win to resurrect its struggling season. Countering one of the conference’s best attacks while registering at least one goal against a strong backline will likely be difficult, though, for a squad that has yet to beat a nationally ranked team.
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