No. 21 UCLA Men’s Soccer Dominates Westmont 5-1 on Senior Night
“It is always fun to have these guys be celebrated,” UCLA men’s soccer coach Ryan Jorden said after his team’s 5-1 victory over Westmont on Tuesday night, dailybruin.com reported.
The win at home moved No. 21 UCLA to 6-1-4 overall and 2-1-2 in Big Ten play, marking the squad’s third straight victory and third match scoring at least three goals. The evening honored 13 players before kickoff.
Freshmen Ignite the Attack
Freshman forward James Lane broke the scoreless deadlock in the 15th minute. Albert Ruiz initiated a set piece off a foul by Westmont’s Luis Cortes, finding the head of Lane to redirect the ball past goalkeeper Aidan Stricker for a 1-0 lead, according to uclabruins.com. The strike marked Lane’s first collegiate goal in his third appearance for the Bruins.
Westmont answered in the 27th minute when Cooper Matthews, the Warriors’ leading scorer, found an opening on the right side to tie the match 1-1. The score remained level through halftime before UCLA broke open the contest in the second half.
Fellow freshman Marcus Jackson logged 58 minutes in the center of the backline. Jackson, the 2025-26 Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year, entered the match after playing just 13 minutes across three previous games this season. In the 54th minute, Jackson delivered a long ball from the backline to senior Philip Naef on the right wing. Naef slid a through ball to senior forward Oliver Roche, who slotted it into the near post to put the Bruins ahead 3-1.
Second-Half Surge Secures Victory
UCLA scored two goals in a span of 109 seconds early in the second half. Junior midfielder Jaime Amaro struck first in the 52nd minute off a loose ball from a corner kick, pinning a first-time shot into the bottom left corner. Roche followed in the 54th minute with his goal off the build-up initiated by Jackson and Naef.
The brace brought Amaro’s season total to five goals, tying junior defender Shakir Nixon for the team lead, and marked his fourth goal in as many games.
In the 88th minute, Francis Bonsu capped the scoring with his second goal of the season off an assist from David Diez, bringing the final score to 5-1. The victory extends UCLA’s all-time series winning streak against Westmont to nine matches dating back to 1985, bringing the Bruins’ all-time record against the Warriors to 18-2-4.
Upcoming Big Ten Schedule
The Bruins return to competition on Saturday, October 10, hosting Ohio State in a Big Ten conference match scheduled for 6:00 PM PT on B1G+.
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