Northwestern Set For Monday Night Clash With No. 10 UCLA On BTN

EVANSTON, Ill. (October 18, 2026) – For the first and only time in 2026, Northwestern plays its second of back-to-back home contests on Monday evening, welcoming No. 10 UCLA to Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.

The 6 p.m. CT kickoff will air live on Big Ten Network, with Dean Linke (play-by-play) and Chris Munroe (analyst) on the call.

LAST TIME OUT
Northwestern opened its brief homestand with a 1-1 draw against Penn State this past Friday. Gabriel Smyth gave the Wildcats, who played a man down for nearly 80 minutes, a 1-0 advantage 48 seconds into the second half before Joseph Sheridan rescued a point for the visitors in the 80th minute.

SCOUTING UCLA
Ranked No. 10 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, UCLA (7-2-4, 3-2-2 B1G) dropped a thriller to No. 18 Wisconsin last Friday, falling to the host Badgers by a final count of 4-3 at the McClimon Soccer Complex. The setback snapped a six-game unbeaten run (4-0-2) for eighth-year head coach Ryan Jorden’s team, which currently sits fifth in the Big Ten Conference table entering Monday’s matchup with the ‘Cats.

UCLA boasts one of the nation’s top attacks, averaging 2.38 goals per game, a mark that ranks second in the Big Ten and 13th nationally.

Diego Castano sits atop the Bruins’ scoresheet, with a team-best seven goals to his name. Castano, who ranks third in the Big Ten in goals scored, is coming off back-to-back braces against Ohio State and Wisconsin. Jamie Amaro and Shakir Nixon join Castano in the top 10 on the league leaderboard in goals. Amaro (5th) found the back of the net for the sixth time in 2026 against the Badgers, while Nixon (8th), a member of the 2025 Big Ten All-Tournament Team, has added five goals.

After appearing in nine games last season, Ryan Tiltack has seen the lion’s share of action in goal this season for UCLA, starting in 10 contests. Tiltack sports a 1.39 goals against average and has three outings with four-plus saves.

SERIES STUFF
Northwestern and UCLA will meet for only the fourth time on Monday evening along the shores of Lake Michigan.

The Bruins stretched their lead in the brief all-time series to 3-0 when the two teams clashed last season in Los Angeles, Calif., with Sergi Solans Ormo delivering the night’s deciding strike in the 86th minute of play in a 1-0 victory.

UP NEXT
Northwestern heads east to Bloomington, Ind. on Friday, October 23, where it will clash with No. 2 Indiana in a 6 p.m. CT tilt at Bill Armstrong Stadium.