Junior midfielder Victor Munoz and UCLA men’s soccer will face a strong Oregon State team this season. The Beavers have become a more physical team in the past year.
Senior golfer Tiffany Lua will try to help her team win the Pac-12 title in her final year with the program. The Bruins will compete at the Valencia Country Club in late April.
MEN’S SOCCER
Game: Oregon State at UCLA
Friday, Oct. 5 ““ 3 p.m.
Drake Stadium, Los Angeles, Calif.
Pac-12 Networks
The Bruins faced the Beavers twice last season and both games came down to the wire. In their first meeting, midfielder Victor Munoz, now a junior, scored a goal in the 89th minute to give UCLA the 2-1 victory. When the teams next met, it was an even closer game. The Bruins took the win once again ““ this time in double overtime, by a score of 1-0. The Beavers will surely remember the two games the Bruins stole from them a year ago.
“They have a very physical team and they have a more athletic team this year than they did last year, so that combination makes a dangerous team. If we aren’t sharp and we aren’t good and don’t convert our chances then they’ll always be in the game.” ““ coach Jorge Salcedo
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports contributor.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Game: UCLA at Oregon State
Sunday, Oct. 7 ““ noon
Lorenz Field, Corvallis, Ore.
Pac-12 Networks
After finishing second and third respectively in the Pac-12 last season, UCLA and Oregon State find themselves in the same positions early this season, coming close in the rankings as conference play starts up. The two teams have traded wins for the past three seasons, with UCLA taking the win in last year’s game. The Bruins defeated the Beavers 1-0 at home with then-senior forward Sydney Leroux scoring the game’s only goal. This year, without Leroux, the Bruins will need a new hero to step up if they hope to defeat a competitive Beavers team and maintain their spot in the standings.
“Linus Rhode, the head coach at Oregon State, is a fantastic coach. He’s a great teacher of the game. His teams are very disciplined and play fantastic soccer. He’s catapulted Oregon State to the top the ranks of college soccer.” ““ coach B.J. Snow
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports contributor.
FOOTBALL
Game: USC at UCLA
Saturday, Nov. 17 ““ TBA
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
One of the best rivalries in college football was barely even a competition last season when USC beat UCLA 50-0 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Despite being only one year removed from the blowout, this season’s contest is expected to be a completely different game. UCLA received its first ranking in four years after only two games since new coach Jim Mora took over.
With the Bruins having a friendly schedule the rest of the way, there is a good chance that UCLA could be in the hunt for the Pac-12 South title going into the game against USC. Even if the Bruins are out of the race by the time the Trojans come to the Rose Bowl, there is no question that pride will be on the line after last season’s blowout.
Compiled by Jacob Ruffman, Bruin Sports senior staff.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Game: UCLA at Stanford
Friday, Oct. 12 ““ 6 p.m.
Maples Pavilion, Stanford, Calif.
Pac-12 Networks
This match pits two of the sport’s historically best programs against each other. Since 1981, Stanford has won six national titles and finished runner-up another eight times. During that same stretch, UCLA has four national titles, including last year’s, and finished second four times. This year figures to be another busy postseason for both teams, as they have both started the season strong. Last season, UCLA defeated Stanford twice en route to a national title. With both teams ranked in the top 10 early on and Stanford certain to have a chip on its shoulder, this match is sure to be an exciting one.
“(Stanford has) the best recruiting class I’ve seen in a long, long time if not ever coming in. So as those freshmen develop throughout the year, they’re going to get exponentially better.” ““ coach Mike Sealy
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports contributor.
CROSS COUNTRY
Game: Wisconsin Invitational
Friday, Oct. 12 ““ TBA
Madison, Wis.
This event offers a great chance for UCLA’s cross country teams to get a sense of where they stand compared to the rest of the country. The men are currently ranked No. 29 and the women are unranked, but facing teams from across the country means both UCLA teams have the opportunity to score postseason points and gain some ground. This will also be one of the last chances for the Bruins’ “A” squads to compete before the Pac-12 Championship.
“What makes this such a great event is it’s one of the top cross meets in the country. Especially since it’s back in the Midwest, it’ll have a lot of teams we often wouldn’t see maybe until postseason, so that’s what makes it such a great meet.” ““ coach Mike Maynard
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports contributor.
WOMEN’S GOLF
Game: Pac-12 Championship
Monday, April 22 ““ Wednesday, April 24
Valencia Country Club, Valencia, Calif.
After finishing fourth in the Pac-12 Championship a year ago, the Bruins would have an excellent chance to improve that finish this year. As the hosts of the event, UCLA will have plenty of opportunities to get familiar with the course before the championship arrives.
“We’ll have the opportunity to play at the golf course quite a few times before the tournament, so that’s always helpful in becoming more comfortable with the golf course.” ““ coach Carrie Forsyth
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports contributor.
MEN’S WATER POLO
Game: UCLA at California
Saturday, Oct. 6 ““ TBA
Spieker Aquatics Complex, Berkeley, Calif.
Pac-12 Networks
There’s bound to be some bad blood between these teams. The teams last faced off in the semifinals of the NorCal Tournament, where the Bruins were victorious. Before that, they faced off last season in the semifinals of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament, where UCLA came out of that match on top, defeating Cal 7-6 in overtime to advance to the finals after current sophomore attacker Paul Reynolds scored the go-ahead goal in overtime. Both Cal and UCLA are once again having successful seasons, and this game could not only be a rematch of last year’s postseason meeting, but also a preview of one that might come again this postseason.
“Each year is a new year; each game is a new game. You can beat somebody one week and lose to them the next week. It’s tough, the fact that they’re a good team and the fact that we play each other a lot. It’s going to be an absolute dogfight of a game.” ““ coach Adam Wright
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports contributor.