Senior forward Andre Ochoa struck the ball into the back of the net, putting his team up 6-0 after just 25 minutes.

One member of the Bruin faithful gathered at the Rose Bowl shouted, “Touchdown!”

UCLA men’s soccer tallied the equivalent of two touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions at the Rose Bowl, scoring 16 and keeping a clean sheet in an exhibition against the Liga Premier U23 Select side. Saturday marked the first match in program history at the Rose Bowl.

Despite being the first time for UCLA, the Pasadena landmark is no stranger to soccer, having hosted both the 1994 Men’s World Cup and the 1999 Women’s World Cup finals. Most recently, the Rose Bowl hosted the MLS derby between LA Galaxy and LAFC on July 4, 2023, a match that set the league’s stand-alone attendance record.

“It was great to be able to play in this venue,” said coach Ryan Jorden. “I’ve watched too many games here between international games, World Cup games, the (LA) Galaxy when they were playing here. I think it’s a really great experience for our guys.”

The Bruins were originally scheduled to play their final spring game at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. Jorden said UCLA football coach DeShaun Foster invited the men’s soccer team to join the day.

“DeShaun and I ended up running stairs at Drake Stadium at 6:30 in the morning together on a couple of occasions,” Jorden said. “I told him we couldn’t come to this game because we had a game scheduled at the same time. He said, ‘Look, why don’t you guys go before us?’ I think it’s incredible that he wanted to try to include us in their day and make it more of a festival atmosphere.”

Foster and a collection of football players were spotted watching the match in the second half, cheering on every Bruin goal.

The match provided an opportunity for a new Bruin to get accustomed to his UCLA kit.

Forward Nikolai Rojel, a transfer from Wofford College, excelled in front of the Rose Bowl crowd, grabbing a brace in the first 11 minutes. The sophomore also set his teammates up for success, notching two assists and drawing a penalty that completed redshirt junior forward Jose Contell’s hat trick.

“It’s a big honor to play here in a historic stadium,” Rojel said. “A lot of people have always been dreaming about playing here. It was good getting a match like this, just having some fun with the guys and playing at the Rose Bowl in front of the fans and scoring some goals.”

Like Contell, other veterans got in on the fun as well. Ochoa completed his hat trick in just 25 minutes and spent the rest of his time on the pitch applying defensive pressure and getting teammates into scoring positions.

Ochoa said the match was a good way for the team to grow closer together heading into the new season.

“It’s definitely a new team compared to last year. We’re still trying to build that chemistry with each other,” Ochoa said. “But I think it will come, especially after a game like this.”