After four away games in the past month, the Bruins are finally coming home.
UCLA men’s soccer (4-1-4, 1-1-2 Big Ten) will face No. 7 Michigan State (7-1-1, 3-0-0) at Wallis Annenberg Stadium this Saturday for its fifth Big Ten match of the year.
UCLA scored a season-high four goals against Penn State on Monday to earn its first conference win. Prior to the game, coach Ryan Jorden’s squad was experiencing nearly a month-long win drought, having last notched a victory Sept. 6 versus Omaha.
The Bruins are coming off back-to-back away games on the East Coast, a stretch that could take a toll on the team.
We’ve (had) three results where we didn’t feel like we got the result that we should have been able to get to,” Jorden said. “Having been on the road for three of our first four in the conference is hard. So, (I’m) proud of our guys and happy to get home.”
A key piece in the victory over Penn State was junior defender Shakir Nixon, who buried penalty kicks in the 39th and 90th minutes, bringing his season total to a team-high five goals.
Nixon said there is more to look forward to with the upcoming game than just the match itself, including returning to Westwood – and Wallis Annenberg – when students are finally back on campus.
“I’m extremely excited – the fact that school started,” Nixon said. “Not only to start some more of my new classes and get to learn, but for a lot of new students to come in and hopefully come by and watch the game.”
At UCLA’s last home game on Sept. 18 against Michigan, 1,706 fans were in attendance, the highest number the squad has seen this season.
Saturday’s match against Michigan State is taking place after Week One, when the move-in chaos has passed. An increase of UCLA students in attendance could continue to aid in the squad’s efforts.
“Last week when we played at home against Michigan, student support was incredible on campus,” Jorden said. “The crowd was great. Michigan State’s having a really good year, and (we’re) so excited to be back onto campus. You get a clash of two really good teams with two different styles.”
Entering the match against the Spartans, the home field advantage may be just what the Bruins need to continue their recent success.
Having won seven of its nine matches this season, including all of its conference games, which makes it second in conference standings, Michigan State is a formidable opponent.
The Spartans enter the match against the Bruins riding a three-game win streak, including a 3-0 victory over then-No. 13 Wisconsin and a 1-0 win over UCLA’s recent foe – Penn State.
The Spartans boast 12 different players who have recorded a goal on the season, helping the team outscore opponents 23-7.
Forward Andrew Darakdjian has a team-high four goals, including two in Michigan State’s conference-opening 2-0 win against Northwestern. Fellow forward Richie Ludwig has posted a team-high seven assists alongside two goals through the season, assisting both of Darakdjian’s goals against the Wildcats.
“Michigan State is not a bad team, but I still believe we are capable of being the number one team in the country,” said senior midfielder Philip Naef. “Celebrate the win, and then tomorrow we travel, and we should be ready to go into war again. … Obviously, we need to have some respect for Michigan State, but I think everybody on the team believes that we can beat any team in the country.”
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