Friday, September 12
Los Angeles, Calif.
9 p.m. CT
Northwestern
3-2-1, 0-1-0
0
at
1
UCLA
1-3-2, 1-0-0
1
2
F
Northwestern
0
0
0
UCLA
0
1
1
Photo by: UCLA Athletics
Late Goal Pushes UCLA Past Northwestern, 1-0
9/12/2025 11:38:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Ponce de León tallies career-high seven saves
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (September 12, 2025) – Sergi Solans' goal in the 86th minute spoiled an otherwise resolute defensive effort from Northwestern (3-2-1, 0-1-0 B1G), as the Wildcats dropped their Big Ten Conference opener to UCLA (1-3-2, 1-0-0 B1G) by a 1-0 final this evening at Wallis Annenberg Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif.
How It Happened
Both sides looked to generate threatening chances in the early minutes. Nigel Prince headed narrowly high of goal seven minutes in, before Rafael Ponce de León turned away Solans shortly after.
Northwestern seemingly had an answer for every UCLA push in the opening 45 minutes, with Solans' ninth-minute effort representing the hosts' lone shot on goal, as the two sides headed into the intermission knotted up at 0-0.
Ponce de León made arguably his top save of the night just five minutes after the restart. In the moments following a Bruins' corner, Solans headed back across the face of goal, only for the Wildcat netminder to make an outstretched save that kept the game scoreless.
As time continued to tick away, Fritz Volmar registered a vital block to thwart a UCLA attack in the 80th minute ahead of another Ponce de León stop, this time on a free kick from Shakir Nixon.
UCLA found its breakthrough with just under five minutes remaining, as Solans slotted home off a feed from Francis Bonsu to give the Bruins a 1-0 edge. Northwestern refused to go quietly, pushing ahead in the closing minutes, but was unable to find an equalizer before time expired.
Looking At The Numbers
- Ponce de León was outstanding in goal, making a career-best seven saves.
- In addition to Ponce de León, five Wildcats played a full 90 minutes, a group that included Bryant Mayer, who made his return to the Northwestern lineup.
- Joe Suchecki paced the 'Cats on the offensive end, tallying a pair of shots.
Up Next
Northwestern concludes its California road swing on Monday, September 15 with a 1 p.m. CT matinee at UC Riverside.
How It Happened
Both sides looked to generate threatening chances in the early minutes. Nigel Prince headed narrowly high of goal seven minutes in, before Rafael Ponce de León turned away Solans shortly after.
Northwestern seemingly had an answer for every UCLA push in the opening 45 minutes, with Solans' ninth-minute effort representing the hosts' lone shot on goal, as the two sides headed into the intermission knotted up at 0-0.
Ponce de León made arguably his top save of the night just five minutes after the restart. In the moments following a Bruins' corner, Solans headed back across the face of goal, only for the Wildcat netminder to make an outstretched save that kept the game scoreless.
As time continued to tick away, Fritz Volmar registered a vital block to thwart a UCLA attack in the 80th minute ahead of another Ponce de León stop, this time on a free kick from Shakir Nixon.
UCLA found its breakthrough with just under five minutes remaining, as Solans slotted home off a feed from Francis Bonsu to give the Bruins a 1-0 edge. Northwestern refused to go quietly, pushing ahead in the closing minutes, but was unable to find an equalizer before time expired.
Looking At The Numbers
- Ponce de León was outstanding in goal, making a career-best seven saves.
- In addition to Ponce de León, five Wildcats played a full 90 minutes, a group that included Bryant Mayer, who made his return to the Northwestern lineup.
- Joe Suchecki paced the 'Cats on the offensive end, tallying a pair of shots.
Up Next
Northwestern concludes its California road swing on Monday, September 15 with a 1 p.m. CT matinee at UC Riverside.
Team Stats
NU
UCLA
Goals
0
1
Shots
4
14
Shots on Goal
1
8
Saves
7
1
Corners
5
7
Fouls
10
10
Scoring Plays
Sergi Solans (2)
Assisted By: Francis Bonsu , Shakir Nixon
GOAL by UCLA Solans, Sergi Assist by Bonsu, Francis and Nixon, Shakir.
85:21
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
D
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