Sept. 21, 2010

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This Week - No. 13/15 UCLA (4-1-1) will play a pair of local road matches this week, first facing UC Santa Barbara (2-2-2) on Friday, Sept. 24 at 7 pm at Harder Stadium and then playing at Cal State Fullerton (1-3-2) on Sunday, Sept. 26 at 5 pm at Titan Stadium.

Live Coverage - Fans can follow both games via Gametracker. Links are available at UCLABruins.com on the events calendar on the front page. In addition, UCSB will have a radio broadcast of Friday's game on KZSB AM 1290 and at newspress.com.

In The Rankings - UCLA moved up to No. 13 in the NSCAA rankings and to No. 15 in Soccer America's poll. The Bruins are also ranked No. 7 by Top Drawer Soccer, No. 12 by College Soccer News and No. 15 by SoccerTimes.com.

Scouting The Gauchos - UCSB won its first games of the season this past weekend, downing sixth-ranked Harvard, 2-0, and Buffalo, 4-0, to win the Lobo Classic in New Mexico. With a pair of shutouts, goalkeeper Sam Hayden was named the tournament's Defensive MVP, while Danny Barrera was named Offensive MVP. Sam Garza leads the Gauchos in scoring with 9 points (3g, 3a). Hayden has posted a 0.77 goals against average. The Gauchos are hosting the NCAA College Cup in December.

The Series With UCSB - UCLA leads the all-time series with the Gauchos, 31-3-2, and won the last matchup, 2-1, a year ago in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Fernando Monge scored the tying goal in the 15th minute off an Andy Rose assist, and Ryan Hollingshead had the game-winner in the 37th minute. The last time these two teams met in Santa Barbara was Oct. 5, 2006, with UCLA posting a 3-1 win.

Scouting The Titans - Cal State Fullerton secured its first win of the season on Sunday vs. Pittsburgh, winning 2-0 at the Big East Partner Tournament. Nick Posthuma has half of Fullerton's goals this season, leading the team with three. Goalkeeper Trevor Whiddon has played every minute in goal for the Titans and has posted a 1.24 goals against average with two shutouts.

The Series With Cal State Fullerton - UCLA holds a 28-7-3 advantage over Cal State Fullerton and won the matchup last season in Westwood, 2-1. Fullerton had taken an early lead on a Celso Alvarez goal at 3:08, but UCLA answered with the tying goal by Evan Raynr in the 38th minute and the game-winning goal by Shawn Singh in the 65th minute. Brian Rowe picked up the win in goal, making five saves.

Last Week's Results - UCLA went 1-0-1 last weekend, tying Cal Poly, 0-0, on Friday night in front of over 8,700 fans, and downing San Diego, 3-2, in overtime on Sunday afternoon. Brian Rowe earned the shutout, his third of the year, against the Mustangs and tied his season high with seven saves. Against San Diego, freshmen Kelyn Rowe and Victor Chavez each had a goal and assist, and sophomore Evan Raynr scored the game-winner in the fifth minute of overtime.

Working Overtime - Half of UCLA's games have gone to overtime this season, with the Bruins recording a 2-0-1 record in extra time. Other than the Cal Poly game ending in a scoreless tie after 20 extra minutes, UCLA has been fast and efficient in overtime, taking care of UC Riverside in the 93rd minute and ending the San Diego contest with a golden goal in the 95th minute.

Underclassmen See Bulk Of Action, All The Scoring - Bruin underclassmen have seen the majority of playing time so far this season. Of the 18 different players who have made at least one start, 13 have been underclassmen - eight freshmen and five sophomores. All nine of UCLA goals this year have been recorded by underclassmen - 3 by Kelyn Rowe, 2 each by Victor Chavez and Ryan Hollingshead and one each by Evan Raynr and Reed Williams.

Recruiting Class Ranked No. 1 - UCLA's recruiting class of 2010 has been ranked No. 1 in the nation by College Soccer News. This is head coach Jorge Salcedo's third No. 1 recruiting class in his seven years at the Bruin helm and UCLA's fourth in the last eight years. The other top-ranked classes were in 2006, 2003 and 2004. Amongst the top recruits in the class are All-Americans Victor Chavez, Earl Edwards, Zack Foxhoven, Kelyn Rowe and Reed Williams, along with Joe Sofia and Patrick Matchett, who were ranked in the Top 25 of Top Drawer Soccer's Top 100 Players to Watch. Rounding out the class are two-time adidas ESP participant Reid Hukari and ODP Region IV team members Andrew Tusaazemajja and Bradley McIntosh. Additionally, UCLA gained the services of sophomore defender Matt Wiet, a 2008 High School All-American who transferred from Indiana University.

Hollingshead Listed In Top 100 Players To Watch - Sophomore midfielder Ryan Hollingshead is listed at No. 39 in Top Drawer Soccer's Top 100 Players to Watch list (sophomores, juniors and seniors only). Hollingshead is tied for the team lead in goals scored with two.

Five Bruins Named To CSN's "100 Freshmen To Keep An Eye On" List - Five of UCLA's vaunted freshman class were named to College Soccer News' annual "100 Freshmen To Keep An Eye On" list. The Bruin players highlighted were forward Victor Chavez, goalkeeper Earl Edwards, forward Zack Foxhoven, midfielder Kelyn Rowe and defender Joe Sofia.

Alumni Game Oct. 3 - UCLA's annual alumni game will take place Oct. 3 at 10 am on the North Athletic Field. Following the 2:30 pm UCLA-Oregon State soccer game, invited guests will gather in the J.D. Morgan Center Hall of Fame for a postgame social with the current Bruin team. All UCLA men's soccer alumni are invited to participate. Alumni must RSVP by Sept. 27 to be admitted free to the postgame social in the Hall of Fame. Alumni are encouraged to RSVP for the event by signing up at the men's soccer page at UCLABruins.com.

1990 NCAA Championship Reunion - The UCLA men's soccer team will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its 1990 NCAA Men's Soccer championship with an reunion celebration on Sunday, Oct. 24. The 1990 NCAA Championship team will participate in a reunion game and postgame social at the North Athletic Field from 10am-1pm before being honored at halftime of the UCLA-California men's soccer game at Drake Stadium at 2 pm. Following the game, 1990 team members and staff and their families are invited to a dinner at Coach Sigi Schmid's home at 5 pm. Members of the 1990 team are encouraged to RSVP at the men's soccer page at UCLABruins.com.

Coming Up - Pac-10 play begins next week, with the Bruins hosting Washington on Oct. 1 and Oregon State on Oct. 3.