UCLA men’s soccer dominates chances, faces close calls in 1-1 draw with Michigan
UCLA and Michigan players face off at the end of the 1-1 draw on Sept. 18. Both goals came off set pieces in a match with 26 fouls.
(Presley Liu/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Men's soccer
| Michigan | 1 |
| UCLA | 1 |
By Sinclair Richman
Sept. 19, 2026 11:58 p.m.
One call can change the course of the game.
And for the Bruins, this happened twice.
UCLA men’s soccer (3-1-3, 0-1-1 Big Ten) tied 1-1 with Michigan (2-2-2, 0-1-1) Friday at Wallis Annenberg Stadium after two second-half goals. After beginning the season undefeated, the Bruins have yet to capture a Big Ten victory in 2026.
The squad opened the game ready to attack.
In the second minute of the match, sophomore forward Francis Bonsu – who made his second start of the season – forced a 1v1 with goalkeeper Alen Bean and captured UCLA’s first corner kick of the night.
This attacking pressure continued through the first half, with the Bruins playing in front of a 1,700-plus crowd – the highest home game attendance drawn by the squad this season.
And it looked as though the Bruins would have an easy goal-scoring opportunity when fifth-year forward Cameron Arnold went to the ground inside the penalty box, but a VAR review overturned the call, and the Bruins were not awarded a penalty kick.
Despite not finding the back of the net, UCLA continued to apply pressure and find gaps left by Michigan’s backline. The Bruins recorded nine shots to the Wolverines’ zero in the first frame alone, ultimately outshooting them 12 to two by the end of the night.
“It’s a game we have a lot of control in,” said coach Ryan Jorden. “We were nine shots to zero at halftime – I thought our control was incredible. We need to score more goals because we put ourselves in situations to get them and didn’t get them, and then it puts pressure on your team that you can’t make a mistake.”
After a nil-nil draw entering the break, the Bruins finally connected with the back of the net.
A hard tackle from Michigan defender Andrew Craig gave the Bruins a free kick that was sent into the box. After taking some deflections, junior defender Henry Jeffcott found the feet of junior midfielder Zach Neuls, who poked it into the goal.
(Presley Liu/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Jeffcott’s start against the Wolverines was the first of his collegiate career, having appeared in one game prior for the Bruins.
“Lovely to get an assist for sure on a personal note,” Jeffcott said. “It would have definitely tasted a lot better if it was with the three points. It’s definitely not the best-looking assist I’ll get this season, but they all count the same.”
Netting that goal tied Neuls for most goals of the season, with him and junior defender Shakir Nixon recording three each. Neuls was the sole goal-scorer in UCLA’s 3-1 loss against Rutgers to open Big Ten play, when he found the back of the net off a corner.
With all three of his goals coming off a set piece in some format, Neuls’ impact, whether starting or coming off the bench – as he did against the Wolverines – proves to be strong inside the box.
“We work on set pieces, specifically (with) coach Joey (O’Keefe),” Neuls said. “He’s our set piece guy. He works a lot on getting us open on free kicks or corner kicks. We practice it many, many times. So we’re ready. We know what’s gonna happen, and we just try to get it done.”
Scoring early in the half allowed the Bruins to gain momentum and cut other players to step up.
In the 60th minute, Michigan forward Jake Tatch took on senior goalkeeper Wyatt Nelson, forcing him to make a big save on the Wolverines’ first shot of the night. Nelson was making his first appearance for the Bruins this season, and he ended up recording one save on two shots on goal.
But two minutes later, the Wolverines came clawing back.
A foul on sophomore midfielder Adrian Aguilar inside the box sent the game to another VAR review, one that again was ruled against the Bruins. Midfielder Joao Paulo Ramos stepped up to the plate, burying his shot to the left side, past Nelson.
With the game equalized, both teams continued fighting for an advantage. And despite UCLA outnumbering Michigan five to zero in corner kicks, neither squad was able to find the back of the net again.
The draw gave both teams their first point of the Big Ten season, one that will be crucial as UCLA enters an away matchup against No. 8 Maryland on Friday.
“Every opponent in this conference is top,” Jorden said. “We know that going to Maryland is hard, and it’s going to be in front of a big crowd at their place – that we’ll have to have a big performance. So it’s a big weekend for us next week, and we got to go get points on the road now.”
