The biggest test of the season awaits Monday.

After falling 3-1 to Cal State Fullerton for the first loss of the season, No. 6 UCLA men’s soccer (2-1-1) will face No. 3 Denver (3-0-2) on Monday night at Wallis Annenberg Stadium. The game will mark the end of a five-game home stretch – one that included four ranked opponents – and the last contest before the squad’s first conference matchup.

“We just were unprepared for the counter press, and we were a little bit too casual with the ball,” said senior defender Pablo Greenlee. “Hopefully, it’s something that we have to learn and experience and take on with the Big Ten.”

The Bruins’ defensive line – a position group that recorded three clean sheets through its first three affairs – looked disconnected and unorganized against Fullerton after allowing two goals in only 28 seconds.

The biggest question surrounding the Bruin wall lies between the posts. So far this season, coach Ryan Jorden has alternated between sophomore goalkeeper Wyatt Nelson and junior goalkeeper Sam Joseph. However, after Nelson allowed three goals through just 54 minutes, it remains to be seen whether this trend will continue.

“We just got to be better as a team sometimes and help each other and talk as a team,” junior forward Nikolai Rojel said. “Maybe you’re not playing or maybe you’re not happy with the minutes you get, but still you got to help the team as much as you can, no matter what, and we have to do that if we want to beat Denver.”

Denver is returning four of its top-five point leaders from 2023, including a senior duo of midfielder Sam Bassett and forward Oje Ofunrein. The former logged eight goals and seven assists last season while the latter notched a team-leading 11 goals along with two assists. In 2024, the duo combined for four goals and six assists through just five games.

The Pioneers also return midfielder Holger Olsson and forward Bryce Willoughby. The pair recorded a combined nine goals and four assists last season, but have added just one goal so far in 2024.

“Typically, when you’ve got some adversity, it gives your team an opportunity to be able to have a chance to have a good response,” Jorden said. “We hadn’t had really any adversity yet, because things have gone pretty smoothly. We get to find out a little bit about our team.”

Denver’s biggest strength may come from their last defender – goalkeeper Isaac Nehme. The Colorado Springs, local boasted a 12-3-5 record in 2023 tallying 57 saves and a .94 GAA. Nehme’s best attribute may be his experience, logging 1,820 minutes played – 11th most in the country from the goalie position.

In contrast, UCLA’s attacking line has struggled so far this season. Their lone goal came from Rojel in its defeat to Fullerton. Despite the lack of production, Jorden feels that the goals will come.

“You’re trying to get goals from lots of different places,” Jorden said. “If you go back to our very first game, Niko (Rojel) probably should have scored a pair, Ochoa (senior forward Andre Ochoa) probably should have scored a pair. Jose Contell (redshirt senior forward Jose Contell) probably should have scored. Scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in the game. We’re just hoping that guys can complete the final pass into the back of the net.”

The Bruins response to adversity will be tested Monday.