LOS ANGELES — The No. 9 s roster share a standard vacation spot, however the journeys that introduced them to Westwood are something however alike.
When first-year head coach Bob Chesney arrived to campus, these particular person journeys started to converge round a singular mission: resurrecting a program that had managed simply three wins the earlier season.
Now, six video games right into a season few might have predicted, the Bruins are turning heads throughout faculty soccer — ending the week because the final unbeaten staff within the Huge Ten convention.
Whereas standout performances have fueled UCLA on the sector, the exceptional turnaround is about greater than what occurs between the strains. It’s concerning the folks and tales behind it.
"It's actually essential to acknowledge people and allow them to be them," Chesney mentioned Tuesday. "Everyone has a narrative to inform."
Chesney started constructing UCLA’s tradition within the preseason, encouraging gamers to share their motivations and aspirations as they navigate the pressures of faculty soccer. That emphasis on particular person function and collective id could also be one of many driving forces behind the Bruins’ first 6-0 begin since 2022.
"To know you could have a gaggle that may preserve this united, that you could belief and be open and susceptible with is what we're in the end making an attempt to construct," Chesney mentioned.
With a group of transfers from FCS applications, UCLA has welcomed gamers to Westwood seeking to show they belong on faculty soccer’s greatest stage. Few have made a stronger case than fifth-year working again Wayne Knight.
Knight, who performed beneath Chesney at James Madison in 2025, has emerged because the centerpiece of a UCLA dashing assault that leads the Huge Ten in dashing yards per recreation (231.0) and yards per carry (5.6). After dashing for 1,373 yards and 9 touchdowns in his ultimate season with the Dukes, Knight has carried that momentum to the Huge Ten, establishing himself as one of many convention’s best playmakers.
Ric Tapia – The Sporting Tribune
Wayne Knight #3 of the UCLA Bruins runs with the ball in the course of the recreation towards Wisconsin Badgers at Rose Bowl Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Pasadena, California.
By six video games with the Bruins, Knight has already surpassed his landing complete from final season, discovering the top zone on the bottom in each recreation. He’s on tempo to match former UCLA All-American Skip Hicks’ program report of twenty-two dashing touchdowns in a single season, set in 1997.
"When the sunshine shines on any person and so they get just a little extra discover, these tales begin to pop up," Chesney mentioned.
Maybe essentially the most attention-grabbing improvement surrounding UCLA’s begin to the 2026 season is the emergence of quarterback Ty Dieffenbach, who made his first begin of the season within the Bruins’ 17-7 victory over Wisconsin on Saturday. The California native stepped into the beginning position after senior quarterback Nico Iamaleava injured his knee throughout n at Autzen Stadium in Week 6.
In his first take a look at towards an FBS opponent, the Cal Poly switch rose to the event — throwing for a career-high s towards a Wisconsin staff that entered the matchup driving a four-game profitable streak.
Ric Tapia – The Sporting Tribune
Ty Dieffenbach #14 of the UCLA Bruins runs with the ball in the course of the recreation towards Wisconsin Badgers at Rose Bowl Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Pasadena, California.
Following his first win at residence in entrance of the UCLA crowd on the Rose Bowl, the quarterback described the expertise as a ; and the way particular the second was. With Chesney describing Iamaleava’s harm as “extreme” on Monday, Dieffenbach can have the chance to create extra particular moments because the Bruins' signal-caller.
For a lot of groups, dropping the beginning quarterback might reveal hidden flaws and derail a promising season.
Not UCLA. Not beneath Chesney.
A next-man-up mentality, mixed with a roster who performs with a chip on its shoulder, has fueled UCLA’s regular rise from unranked to prime ten within the nation. The Bruins’ transformation has unfolded earlier than the faculty soccer world, pushed by a selfless group united by a singular objective — profitable.
They’ve been good in conducting that objective up to now, pushed by a gaggle of people desirous to make their mark on a program trying to find its first Faculty Soccer Playoff look.
"I believe there’s a variety of guys on this staff who’ve so much to show," senior large receiver Landon Ellis mentioned following Saturday's win over Wisconsin.
Chesney and the Bruins will look so as to add a brand new chapter to what has already develop into considered one of faculty soccer’s most compelling tales on Saturday afternoon as they welcome the Michigan State Spartans to Pasadena.