It is more than just a game.

More than the goals, the celebrations and the wins.

It is about the players that have given their all to one common goal.

And No. 21 UCLA men’s soccer (6-1-4, 2-1-2 Big Ten) celebrated those players Tuesday night with a 5-1 trouncing of Westmont (3-6-4, 1-1-1 PacWest) on senior night, when the squad honored 13 of its players prior to the game. The win marked the Bruins’ third-straight victory and their third match in a row scoring at least three goals. But to coach Ryan Jorden, the game meant more than the numbers on the scoreboard.

“It is always fun to have these guys be celebrated,” Jorden said. “It’s an opportunity to recognize guys who’ve put a lot into this program, whether they’ve been here for one year or whether they’ve been here for five. You want to acknowledge it because of what it means for them to be part of the brotherhood of being at UCLA and in the soccer program.”

Senior midfielder Philip Naef shared his coach’s sentiment.

The fourth-year player added his fourth assist of the season Tuesday night, matching the team high and marking number 25 of his Bruin career. Naef spent time reflecting on what being a part of the program meant to him.

“I wake up every day and I think I’m very lucky to be part of this program and just be a student athlete here,” Naef said. “It’s just a great feeling to be a part of this program with all these amazing people. The coaching staff is great. All the other players are great. So it’s a pleasure to be able to be here for this long, and I’m very thankful that I can be part of this program.”

And though the match was centered on the seniors, it was a freshman who stole the show.

Defender Marcus Jackson – the 2025-26 Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year – played just 13 minutes across three games before Tuesday night but entered a match dedicated to upperclassmen to play 58 minutes in the center of the backline.

Jackson looked poised under pressure and appeared to instill energy in a Bruin squad that entered the halftime break tied 1-1.

The highlight of Jackson’s night came in the 54th minute, when he sent a long ball from the backline to Naef on the right wing, who then slid a through ball to a streaking Oliver Roche. The senior forward subsequently slotted the ball into the near post, giving the Bruins a 3-1 lead and putting the nail in the coffin.

“Phil says, ‘Hey, look up, I’m making the run,’ so I look up, I see him. He checks in, checks out, and makes a move in behind,” Jackson said. “And when he gets on his bike, he goes, so I just hit it in the channel somewhere. Of course, Phil does what he does, and when Phil’s in that kind of channel on the top of the 18, of course he scores.”

Jackson was not the only first-year player to leave his mark on the game.

Forward James Lane netted the opening goal of the game – a header off a curling long ball from a set piece near midfield – to break the deadlock and put the Bruins up 1-0.

And no one was happier than his fellow freshman.

“I met James on my official visit when he came early in April, so I’ve known him for a while now,” Jackson said. “He’s the first one I saw when I got on campus. He’s a brother to me. The older guys are the older brothers, but he’s like a twin brother at that point. So he deserves it. He’s been working. If you’re playing the right way and performing off the field, and you’re doing the right things, you’re going to get a chance, and he got his chance, he took it.”

Joining Lane and Roche on the scoresheet was junior midfielder Jaime Amaro – who added a brace, creating both opportunities almost entirely by himself.

Amaro earned his first goal off a corner kick: a Westmont defender attempted to head the ball out of the box, but as it dribbled out of the 18-yard box, Amaro struck it first-time, pinning the ball in the bottom left corner past the goalkeeper.

The junior’s second goal was equally technical, stealing the ball from a Westmont defender and slotting the ball on the ground, across his body, into the bottom right corner, giving him his fifth goal of the season – tying junior defender Shakir Nixon for the team lead.

“He’s (Amaro is) a super technical player. His ability to get to places, and if he gets an open look, his ability to execute in the moment-that’s critical,” Jorden said. “You obviously see it come through tonight, and now we’ve seen it a few times. It’s great.”