In its second year competing in the Big Ten Conference, the UCLA men’s soccer team has been projected to finish fourth in the 2025 preseason coaches poll. The Bruins bring with them a history of 13 conference championships, including their recent 2023 Pac-12 title.
During the 2024 season, UCLA recorded an overall mark of 7-6-6 and went 3-4-3 in conference matches. The team also earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament for a fourth consecutive year.
UCLA’s schedule for the upcoming season includes games against two teams ranked in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll: No. 11 Indiana on September 26 and No. 3 Ohio State on September 29. In addition to these matchups, UCLA will face five teams that reached last year’s NCAA Tournament—Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State, and Washington.
The Big Ten also released its list of players to watch this week. Three Bruins were named: graduate defender Drew Brown, sophomore midfielder Tamir Ratoviz, and sophomore forward Sergi Solans Ormo.
Brown joins UCLA as a graduate transfer from Wisconsin and enters his fourth collegiate season. Over three years at Wisconsin, he made 48 appearances with 42 starts. In his final year there, Brown appeared in 11 matches with five starts and previously started all games he played in during the prior season. He was recognized by TopDrawerSoccer’s National Team of the Week after helping secure a shutout against No. 2 Kentucky and was part of a defense that posted seven shutouts in total.
Ratoviz is set for his second year at UCLA after playing in 18 games as a freshman last season, making two starts. He contributed nine points (two goals and five assists), ranking fourth on the team overall and leading all freshmen on the roster in points. His notable performances included scoring both his first collegiate goal and assist during a win over Portland as well as contributing key plays throughout conference competition.
Solans Ormo rounds out UCLA’s selections for players to watch. After transferring from Oregon State where he had an outstanding offensive campaign—including leading his former team with 14 goals—he was drafted by Real Salt Lake in this year’s MLS SuperDraft. Solans Ormo earned several honors last season such as third-team All-America recognition, WCC Offensive Player of the Year, and United Soccer Coaches All-Region accolades.
The full preseason poll places Indiana first, followed by Maryland and Ohio State ahead of UCLA at fourth place.
