This post was updated Oct. 17 at 10:31 p.m.

Two unfamiliar foes will step onto the battlefield for UCLA’s last road trip of the regular season.

Following a trip to the eastern seaboard, No. 19 UCLA men’s soccer (5-3-4, 2-2-2 Big Ten) will face Rutgers (4-7-2, 1-4-1) at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, New Jersey, on Friday night. With UCLA riding on a victory against then-No. 2 Ohio State and Rutgers perched in the cellar of the Big Ten – both teams will fight to keep their season on the right track.

Before handing the Buckeyes their first loss of the season, the Bruins lost two and drew two games through a five-game stretch – amassing just one win. In the same period, UCLA nearly let the game slip late in the game – tying Michigan 3-3 after being up one with 15 minutes left and tying Penn State 2-2 after being up two goals with 20 minutes remaining.

Despite the recent trend of conceding last-minute goals, the Bruins may turn the tide following their 2-1 victory over the Buckeyes.

“Going forward, it’s going to be a different team. I know that we can beat any team in the country. … And I think that we’re capable of doing that,” said graduate student midfielder Edrey Caceres. “We have the right team to make it far, and I’m just excited to keep going forward.”

Rutgers will enter Friday’s matchup as one of the least-disciplined teams in the country – receiving five red cards, with four in its first six contests. While UCLA has yet to receive a red card this season, it has seen its fair share of warnings – garnering 17 yellow cards throughout just 13 games.

The Scarlet Knights’ lack of discipline has crept into their offensive production. The Knights have eclipsed one goal just four times this season, with only one of these iterations occurring in the last nine matchups.

Rutgers comes into the affair facing a formidable UCLA defense.

After opening the season with four clean sheets in the first five games, the Bruins have not appeared the same defensively – conceding 12 goals in the last six games. However, they have seemingly returned to their previous defensive form – highlighted by sophomore goalkeeper Wyatt Nelson winning last week’s Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week award.

“After we scored a second one (goal), it was a matter of just killing the game, trying to focus on defense and just finish the game and then kick all the balls out,” said redshirt senior forward Jose Contell. “We got the win, and that’s the most important thing and that’s it.”

Some of the Scarlet Knights’ most prominent players include midfielder Curt Calov and forward Ola Maeland. The tandem has logged a combined eight goals and three assists so far this season.

Outside of the duo, Rutgers features seven other players with at least one goal, and two of them have scored more than one.

On the other side of the pitch, the Bruins are coming off the momentum gained from their victory over the previously undefeated Buckeyes – and the confidence gained from the home crowd’s energy.

“They feel the energy from the group (the crowd),” said coach Ryan Jorden. “It was loud. The group was loud tonight in the moments that we scored. They were loud tonight at the end. They were loud in the moments that we needed a little bit of backing, and I thought it was great.”

UCLA will face Rutgers on Friday at 4 p.m. before taking on Maryland on Monday evening.