UCLA men’s soccer returns to Pac-12 conference action Thursday against No. 11 Washington in what promises to be a true road test.
The Bruins will embark on their final road trip for conference play when they battle Washington and Oregon State this weekend before returning home to finish the year against San Diego State.
UCLA (8-6-1, 3-4-0 Pac-12) is coming off a 3-1 nonconference victory at home against Coastal Carolina (6-6-3, 2-1-1 Sun Belt) this past Saturday, ending a three-game losing streak.
They will look to begin a winning streak against a Washington team (12-4, 6-2 Pac-12) that is arguably a strong opponent to any team. The Huskies have won five games in a row and are coming off a victory against defending national champion No. 9 Stanford.
This will be the second matchup between the two schools, after having met in Westwood in September. Last time around UCLA fell to Washington 4-0.
A key difference-maker in that game was Washington’s redshirt junior goalkeeper Auden Schilder, who was recently named Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week after a shutout performance against Stanford, his fourth of the year. Schilder will once again look to make things difficult for the Bruins’ attack.
UCLA will counter Washington’s goalkeeper with junior forward Abu Danladi and sophomore midfielder Jose Hernandez, both of whom are listed as potential recipients for the 2016 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy, the individual award presented to the best overall player in the country.
The Bruins will look to improve their standing within the Pac-12 against the Huskies, but more importantly, search for confidence and momentum as the team battles for an at-large bid into the NCAA soccer championship.
Entering the year No. 16 in the NSCAA Coaches Poll, UCLA played well early on, climbing as high as No. 6 after a strong start to their campaign. Since then the team has battled through injuries and inconsistencies that led to drops in its ranking, eventually falling completely out of the polls.
The road trip will test the Bruins and go a long way in potentially deciding how they’ll finish the season. A win against the Huskies could very well set the Bruins up nicely for what they hope to be a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.