Men's Soccer Continues Homestand, Hosts Portland
UCLA (3-1-0) vs. Portland (2-2-0)
Date/Time: Friday, Sept. 10 - 7:00 p.m. (PT)
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Wallis Annenberg Stadium)
Stream: Pac-12.com / Pac-12 Now app
Stream Talent: Nick Koop
Live Stats
Bruins Conclude Pre-Conference Slate Against Portland
This week, UCLA men's soccer continues a season-opening stretch that sees the team play seven of eight games at home by hosting Portland on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. The contest will be streamed live on Pac-12.com/live through Pac-12 Plus, and can also be viewed on the Pac-12 Now app. Fans can also follow along with live stats on uclalivestats.com and live updates via the team Twitter account, @UCLAMSoccer.
The Week In Review
The Bruins posted shutout wins over a pair of Big West foes last week, downing UC Irvine 1-0 on the road Friday night before posting a 4-0 triumph over CSUN at home on Monday evening. A 20th minute own goal was the difference for UCLA at Anteater Stadium, with a Pietro Grassi redirect of a Grayson Doody cross accidentally being cleared into the net. The Bruins held the hosts to just two shots on goal for the whole contest. The Bruins broke out for four goals against the Matadors - all occuring in the first half - with Tommy Silva notching the opening two goals for his first career brace, followed by the first goals in Bruin uniforms from graduate midfielder Yoni Sorokin and redshirst freshman forward Jose Contell. Silva's first and Contell's goal both came on rebounds, and Sorokin's was scored on a PK off a foul drawn by Brandon Zelaya. UCLA outshot CSUN 14-6 while absorbing over twice as many fouls (17-8).
In Form
UCLA enters its battle against Portland on a three-game winning streak. That is tied for the longest winning streak of any program in the west as of Thursday (Washington, UC Riverside). During UCLA's current win streak, the team is outscoring its opponents 7-1 and outshooting them 32-16.
On The Mark
Through the first two weeks of the season, the Bruins have shown themselves to be adept at getting their shot attempts on target, with 21 of the team's 38 shots going on frame. UCLA's 55% shot accuracy as a team is second in the Pac-12 Conference and ranks 12th nationally.
In The Polls
UCLA appeared at No. 5 in this week's United Soccer Coaches Far West Region poll, the first time the Bruins have appeared in the rankings this season.
Off The Board
After holding both UC Irvine and CSUN without a goal last week, the Bruins recorded back-to-back shutouts for the first time since Oct. 4 and 7, 2018 against Washington and Oregon State, respectively.
Big First Half
UCLA exploded for four goals in the first half in its game against CSUN on Sept. 6. That represented the largest halftime lead for the Bruins in over 20 years, dating back to a Sept. 6, 2000 contest against San Diego State in which UCLA also jumped out to a four-goal lead by halftime en route to a 5-0 win. It was the first time that UCLA scored four goals in any half since Sept. 5, 2015 against Akron.
Bruins Helping Bruins
The Bruins have compiled 10 individual assists to this point in the season on eight team goals. UCLA paces the Pac-12 in total assists, and is 12th nationally. The Bruins have recorded two assists on almost all of their goals (five of seven). Eight separate players have tallied a helper for UCLA, including two apiece from Tucker Lepley and Jose Sosa.
Comfortable Margin
The Bruins' 4-0 win over the Matadors represents the largest margin of victory to date for UCLA under third-year head coach Ryan Jorden, besting the previous differential of plus-3. The last time the Bruins defeated a team by four goals or more was the 2018 season opener at Coastal Carolina.
Slippery Silva
After notching his first-career brace on Monday, Tommy Silva moved atop the Pac-12 leaderboard for total goals. As of Thursday, he's tied with Washington's Lucas Meek, Oregon State's Tyrone Mondi, and Cal's Jack Singer for the conference lead in total goals. Silva has five goals and 14 points over 16 career games at UCLA.
The Series Against Portland
UCLA owns an 8-2-1 record all-time against Portland. The Pilots' win in the most-recent matchup snapped a six-game winning streak in the series for UCLA that dated back to 1988. Both of Portland's wins in the series have come in the postseason (1988, 2018). UCLA is 5-0-1 all-time against Portland in home games.
Last Time Out Against Portland
The Bruins and Pilots most recently met in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, with Portland pulling out a 1-0 win at Merlo Field on Nov. 15, 2018. UCLA had 18 shots in the contest - including six on frame and one off the woodwork - but couldn't convert a goal. Benji Michel's 31st minute marker for Portland stood up as the game-winner. Three Bruins who played in that game are still on the roster: Justin Garces, AJ Vasquez, and Andrew Paoli.
Tommy "Golden Goal" Silva
Tommy Silva has shown a penchant for dramatic goals during his Bruin career, as he notched the golden goal in UCLA's spring 2021 season finale over Cal before also finding the back of the net in OT against San Francisco in the second game of the fall campaign. He's the first Bruin with two golden goals in a three-game span since Jose Hernandez accomplished the feat during the 2015 season against UC Irvine (Sept. 27) and Washington (Oct. 4). His two game-winning goals this season co-lead the Pac-12, and only two other players nationally have more.
Fair or Foul
Thanks in part to a large advantage in possession numbers, UCLA is committing just 7.25 fouls per game through the first two weeks of the season. That figure is by far the lowest in the Pac-12, and only two other schools in the country are averaging fewer on a by-game basis (Missouri State, 3.33; San Jose State, 5.33).