Finding its stride early in the season can set a team up for success.

And with Big Ten play quickly approaching, the Bruins are continuing to stay on rhythm.

No. 17 UCLA men’s soccer (2-0-1) will take on California (1-0-1) at Edwards Stadium in Berkeley on Tuesday. The former conference foes are facing off for the first time in over a year, when the Golden Bears walked away with a 1-0 victory last August.

California opened its season with a 0-0 draw against then-No. 6 Portland, before defeating Santa Clara 1-0, finding the back of the net in one of its seven shots on goal.

UCLA is entering the matchup off a 3-0 win over Denver, one punctuated by its third goal off a corner kick this season. The Bruins have racked up six goals on 52 shots, higher marks than the one goal on 22 shots at this point last season.

But their offensive threats could be dampened by a Golden Bear squad that has yet to allow a goal.

Through the two games played so far, Cal goalkeeper Adam Salama has recorded six saves – more than Bruin sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Tiltack’s four across three games. But with the Bruins having recorded 6-plus shots on frame every game so far, Salama will have to be prepared.

Three of the six goals scored by the Bruins have come from transfers, while another three have come from players who entered the game off the bench. And the Bruins have been sure to spread the wealth, with six different players finding themselves on the score sheet.

Part of this success has been conversion off set pieces. Junior defender Shakir Nixon was able to draw and finish a penalty kick against Denver, and UCLA has found the back of the net off a corner kick in every game this season.

And with the Bruins having taken 22 corner kicks to their opponents’ 10, this ability to finish off set pieces has proven important – but there is always room to improve.

“We want to continue to look at video and figure out how we get a little bit better in areas that we’re still maybe not executing in a manner that will really continue to push our standard forward,” said coach Ryan Jorden after the win over Denver. “There’ll be the defending side of the game, there’ll be the attacking side of the game and there’ll be the transitions and set pieces.”

In the Bruins’ matchup against the Pioneers, six players donning the blue and gold recorded shots on frame, with one of those players being junior midfielder Tamir Ratoviz, who had to sit out the second half of the 2025 season after playing only six games due to an injury.

Assisted by Nixon – one of three defenders to record an assist or goal this season – he was able to find the back of the net in only his second appearance back for his first goal since 2024.

“I saw him (Ratoviz) go through a lot during those months. We hung out a lot, talked with him a lot about it, and seeing him score was just like seeing all the hard work,” Nixon said. “He would come in in the mornings and do rehab. He did that for like seven months straight every day.”

The offensive pressure has been backed up by the solidity of the defensive line, with Jorden’s squad limiting opposing teams to 22 shots total and six shots on goal through the games.

The backline has seen the most consistency among starters, with junior Mathis Richter, senior Tre Wright and fifth-year Victor Ciaurriz starting every game thus far and Nixon starting two of the three. Tiltack has also started every game and is the only Bruin goalkeeper to record minutes so far this season.

“We have Victor and Mathis who come into new roles for their first year on the team, and they’ve been unreal,” Tiltack said. “Dealing with the coaching advice, dealing with all the defensive tactics – and their beasts on set pieces, which is awesome both offensively and defensively. So it’s just amazing to have such a strong backline in front of me. It makes my job much easier.”

With only two games remaining until Big Ten competition begins, the Bruins are on the prowl for their third win of the season and first over the Golden Bears since 2023.

The Westwood squad will have to prove themselves and their well-roundedness over a team that almost upset one of the top teams in the country to open the year.