As the regular season wraps up, the Bruins are looking to regain momentum before finishing Big Ten play.

UCLA men’s soccer (7-2-5, 3-2-3 Big Ten) is set to play San Diego (8-3-3, 3-1-2 West Coast Conference) at Wallis Annenberg Stadium on Sunday evening. With just three regular-season matches remaining, the Bruins are approaching the final stretch of a campaign that has seen momentum shifts throughout the year.

And with just three games remaining, this final non-conference matchup proves crucial before the final two regular-season Big Ten games. UCLA currently sits just two points behind fourth-place Washington and five behind first-place Indiana – both of which UCLA hosts before the season’s end.

Throughout the year, finding the back of the net has required patience, persistence and more than a few missed opportunities. Early in the season, the Bruins frequently generated promising chances without converting them at the rate their attacking play suggested they should.

A 1-1 draw against CSU Bakersfield and another against Michigan offered frustrating examples of an offense that could create opportunities without consistently delivering the payoff.

After scoring 12 goals across its opening eight matches, UCLA erupted for 19 across its next six, including a four-goal performance at Penn State, a three-goal shutout of then-No. 8 Michigan State and a five-goal showcase against Westmont.

“In the beginning of the season, we were struggling a little bit in the first games,” said junior midfielder Jaime Amaro. “But right now, I think that everybody is seeing that we got really good players, and between us, we are starting to have a great connection.”

But UCLA cannot always rely on an improbable last-minute escape. A 4-3 defeat at the hands of Wisconsin and subsequent scoreless draw against Northwestern exposed the danger of an offense that can be explosive one evening and underperforming the next.

“You love learning lessons when you win,” said coach Ryan Jorden. “When you lose, they become really poignant. Our job is to embrace the pain right now in this result.”

Fifth-year forward Diego Castano has emerged as one of the Bruins’ most dangerous finishers, leading the team with seven goals, while Amaro and junior defender Shakir Nixon have provided additional attacking threats throughout the season with six and five goals, respectively.

Nixon has also been particularly reliable from the penalty spot, converting all four of his attempts, while Castano has also converted both of his. Behind this attacking trio, sophomore midfielder Adrian Aguilar and senior midfielder Philip Naef have each contributed four assists.

“We got really good players individually,” Amaro said. “We are starting to have a great connection.”

But San Diego proves to be a formidable opponent. The squad has scored 10 goals on 65 shots across its last three matches, including a 5-4 loss to Portland, a 3-0 victory at Pacific and a 3-1 win over Santa Clara.

Leading the charge is forward Steven Ramirez, whose seven goals and 16 points pace the team. Alongside him, midfielder Taj Eagleston has contributed five goals, giving San Diego a pair of dangerous attackers who are fed by the likes of midfielders Iain Wagner and Matteo Saldeco – both of whom have contributed four assists on the season each. The Toreros have also demonstrated an ability to capitalize on set-piece opportunities, including two corner-kick goals recently against the Broncos.

San Diego won the programs’ most recent meeting in 2019 by a 4-1 margin at Wallis Annenberg Stadium, jumping ahead 2-0 within the opening three minutes. The Toreros also eliminated the Westwood side from the 2012 NCAA Tournament and upset the then-No. 1 Bruins in 2014.

However, despite their recent offensive resurgence, the Toreros have struggled to consistently translate goals into victories against tougher opposition, with their four-goal performance against the Pilots still ending in defeat. For UCLA, this non-conference opponent will set the team up for the crucial final series of regular season conference matchups.

“I think (the Wisconsin loss) fuels a new fire under the team to go and win out the regular season,” said senior defender Tre Wright. “I think that’s the best thing we can do – is understand that everything’s going to be a dogfight from now.”