UCLA men’s soccer introduces No. 2 ranked recruiting class

UCLA men’s soccer head coach Ryan Jorden announced seven additions to the program’s incoming recruit class for the fall season, augmenting a group that had already been ranked the No. 2 class in the country by TopDrawerSoccer.

The group of seven includes five Division I transfers, one European import, and one high school signee. Alphabetically, the seven newcomers are midfielder Ryan Becher (UMBC), forward Oshea Foster (San Diego), midfielder Sean Karani (Temple), defender Philip Naef (BSC Young Boys), forward Jack Sarkos (Lehigh University), defender Owen Schwartz (Brown), and defender Tre Wright (Lake Travis HS).

UCLA’s incoming class now totals 11 student-athletes in all, joining previous academy signees in forward Jacob Diaz (LAFC Academy), goalkeeper Wyatt Nelson (Seattle Sounders Academy), defender Mateo Pinilla (Houston Dynamo Academy), and winger Sam Scott (Solar SC).

By class, the group features six freshmen, one sophomore, one junior, and three grad transfers.

“We’re very excited about the quality of individuals coming in, both on and off the field,” said Jorden. “Given the diversity in their class representation, we expect that they should all be impactful to our team, whether in the immediate future or down the road.”

The 2023 season is fast approaching, as the Bruins open the new campaign with home exhibitions against UC Riverside (Aug. 12), Cal Poly (Aug. 15), and CSU Bakersfield (Aug. 19). UCLA opens the regular season at the Fairfield by Marriott Invitational in Harrisonburg, Va., facing Virginia Tech (Aug. 24) and James Madison (Aug. 27).

Ryan Becher – Midfielder – Hummelstown, Pa. – UMBC

Four-year letterwinner at UMBC … Had a superlative senior season, finishing second in the country in points per game (2.00) after posting 13 goals and 10 assists (13-10-36) … Was the only player in the country with both double-digit goals and assists in 2022 … Picked up a slew of awards and honors after his senior season; was named to the Best Starting XI by NCAA.com, picked to the All-America East Conference First Team, and was an All-Northeast Region Second Team choice by United Soccer Coaches … Also picked up all-conference honors as a junior in 2021 … During his senior year, earned conference offensive player of the week honors in each of the final four weeks of the regular season … Had back-to-back six-point games (2-2-6) on Oct. 8 and Oct. 11, 2022 … Posted 19 points in 19 games (7-5-19) as a junior in 2021 … Over 62 career games with the Retrievers, recorded 25 goals and 20 assists for 70 points … Prior to his collegiate career, was a member of the Philadelphia Union Academy.

Oshea Foster – Forward – Pasadena, Calif. – San Diego

Coming off a freshman season at San Diego that saw him earn All-WCC honorable mention and WCC All-Freshman Team honors … Appeared in 16 games with the Toreros, starting eight, recording three goals for six points … Tied for third on the team in goalscoring … Was named the WCC Player of the Week on Oct. 31 after scoring a goal in back-to-back games against LMU and Portland … Scored in three consecutive games from Oct. 22-29 … Notched his first-career goal on Oct. 22 against Santa Clara … Prior to USD, attended John Muir High School in Pasadena, where he was a two-time all-conference pick in soccer while winning CIF Championships in the 800 meter and 4×400 relay.

Sean Karani – Midfielder – Wichita, Kan. – Temple

Four-year letterwinner at Temple University in Philadelphia … Over 40 career games at Temple, recorded eight goals and 10 assists for 26 points … Matched or set career highs in goals (three), assists (five), and points (11) during his final season at Temple in 2022 … Named to the AAC All-Freshman Team in 2019 … Was a First Team All-AAC selection after the spring 2021 season … Prior to Temple, was a member of the Sporting KC Academy … Trained with Sporting KC’s first team during his prep career.

Philip Naef – Defender – Copenhagen, Denmark – BSC Young Boys

Member of the Swiss U-19 National Team … Competed with a pair of prestigious European Clubs in BSC Young Boys and F.C. Copenhagen … Won a U-17 Championship with F.C. Copenhagen, and a Swiss National Championship with Young Boys.

Jack Sarkos – Forward – Margate City, NJ. – Lehigh University

Four-year letterwinner at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. … Posted identical stat lines (eight goals, two assists, 18 points) during his junior and senior seasons, resulting in First Team All-Patriot League honors in both seasons … Over 51 career games (32 starts) at Lehigh, notched 17 goals and four assists for 38 points … Earned all-region second team honors from United Soccer Coaches in 2022 … Was Lehigh’s leading scorer in both 2022 and 2023 … Earned Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 25, 2021 after recording a hat trick against Navy … Prior to Lehigh, set Mainland High School records for single-season (26) and career goals (75) while picking up a slew of awards and accolades.

Owen Schwartz – Defender – Mill Valley, Calif. – Brown

Four-year letterwinner at Brown in Providence, R.I. … Was an All-Ivy League Second Teamer in 2021, and earned an all-league honorable mention as a freshman in 2019 … Appeared in 48 games at Brown, starting 45 … Notched four goals and one assist for nine points during his undergrad career … Led Brown in minutes played during the 2019 and 2021 seasons (the Ivy League canceled the 2020 season due to COVID).

Tre Wright – Defender – Spicewood, Tex. – Lake Travis High School

Left-footed defender out of Lake Travis High School … Was named the 2023 District 26 Player of the Year … Won a State Championship with Lake Travis in 2022 … Won the 2023 Elite Academy National Championship with Capital City SC … Helped Lake Travis to an undefeated regular season in 2022.