Opening the school year with week zero gives students the freedom to find new friends, join new clubs and go on adventures.
But the Bruins are reminding everyone that difficult midseason tests arrive sooner than they may think.
Nearly halfway through the regular season, UCLA men’s soccer (3-1-3, 0-1-1 Big Ten) will travel east to face No. 4 Maryland (6-1-0, 1-1-0) at Ludwig Field on Friday. The Terrapins offer the Bruins their second swing at a top-15 ranked opponent this season – the first since their season-opening upset against then-No. 11 Virginia.
After leading the nation in total attendance during the 2025 season with 43,065 fans, Maryland’s student section – “The Crew” – has continued to pack Ludwig Field. In Maryland’s most recent 3-2 victory over No. 5 Georgetown, over 6,000 Terrapins came out to support the squad.
The squad’s success has seemingly stemmed from a mindset of turning pressure into momentum, and momentum into control. Maryland has won each of its six matches by just one goal this season, and, similarly to last season where the team trailed for just 78 seconds across 15 matches, it has yet to blow a lead and has only entered halftime trailing twice.
“We know that going to Maryland is hard,” said coach Ryan Jorden. “It’s going to be in front of a big crowd at their place, (and) we’ll have to have a big performance.”
Even with their shells against the wall, the Terrapins have won with fireworks, patience and youthful creativity.
Forward Said El Eyssami became the first Terrapin to score twice in a season opener since 2017, earning the first of an eventual two Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, before he struck again with the game winner against No. 7 Wisconsin. Forward Rodrigo Neri has collected back-to-back Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors of his own, giving Maryland two first-year forwards capable of providing a spark.
The squad’s success extends beyond the front line, though.
Midfielder Albi Ndrenika earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after his two-goal performance against Georgetown, and midfielder Henry Bernstein has racked up five assists on the year, with many coming in clutch moments for the team.
A total of eight Terrapins have already appeared on the scoresheet this season off an average of 15.4 total team shots per game. And with 19 team assists on 14 total goals, the squad is more than willing to make an extra pass for a scoring opportunity.
But with offensive success has come defensive lapses.
Maryland’s defense has been far from impenetrable this year, conceding 12 goals through seven contests with the second-worst goals-against percentage of Big Ten teams.
Even when opponents have broken through, the Terrapins have consistently protected advantages and responded to adversity. Following Maryland’s lone defeat of the season, the squad shut out a then-top 10 Wisconsin team at home, a win the team is riding into the matchup against the Bruins.
But when the Maryland Terrapin flips on its shell, it can find it difficult to right itself again.
After the top-ten victory over Georgetown, Northwestern relentlessly blitzed Maryland while holding the latter shotless through the first 45 minutes. The Terrapins found themselves down three goals just six minutes after returning from break and never recovered.
And if any squad can replicate the Northwestern performance, it is UCLA. When these two sides met at Ludwig Field last season in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, the Bruins handed the then-No. 1 team its first defeat of the year in a 2-0 shutout – despite being outshot 17-10 throughout the match. The game marks the first game back at Ludwig Field for UCLA since winning that same tournament on the ground in dominant fashion.
However, while last year’s Bruins caught their stride entering Big Ten play, this year has shown a lull entering conference competition.
And in order for the Bruins to claw their way through, they actually have to hit on their swings.
“We try to just have a short memory and look at just the next game and the next game and the next game,” said junior midfielder Zach Neuls. “We try to improve from our mistakes from the previous (game), and that’s how we go about the season.”
Taking advantage of opportunities, especially through midfield physicality and set piece chances, has been the story for this experienced UCLA squad all season.
In last week’s game against Michigan, the Westwood squad outshot its opponents 9-0 in the first half and 12-3 the entire game. UCLA controlled territory, forced three saves and repeatedly knocked on Michigan’s door, but Neuls finally breaking through in the second half was not enough to secure the victory. Michigan equalized from the penalty spot on the way to a 1-1 draw.
“We need to score more goals because we put ourselves in situations to get them and didn’t get them,” Jorden said. “It puts pressure on your team that you can’t make a mistake.”
Through the year, the Bruins have outshot opponents 94-49, yet have only outscored opponents 12-9.
Whether UCLA chooses to rely on a centralized attack, prioritize wingback crosses or let loose and shoot from outside the box, not taking advantage of clear-cut opportunities could carry an even greater price against a Maryland team that has made an art form out of thriving within a single-goal margin.
UCLA has already shown it can create changes, control stretches of play and – as it showed on that very field last November – knock Maryland out of sorts. However, against a Terrapin squad that has spent nearly every week finding ways to squeeze through the narrow margin of victory, simply creating opportunities just won’t be enough.
“We’re really confident,” said junior defender Henry Jeffcott, who assisted Neuls against Michigan. “We know that we are nearly there, but nearly there isn’t quite good enough. We know that the points will come. We just got to stick together as a group.”
The Bruins have already shown their work.
Friday night, they’ll look to finally circle the right answers.
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