UCLA Soccer Team to Kick Off Home Season Against Westmont on Tuesday

UCLA’s 13th-ranked soccer team opens its home season Tuesday against Westmont College on the North Athletic soccer field at 3 p.m.

Six starters among 14 lettermen return from last year’s 16-1-5 squad. Senior midfielder Shaun Del Grande, who led UCLA in scoring last year with eight goals and seven assists, will combine up front with 1984 Olympian Jeff Hooker, who knocked in five goals a year ago.

Sophomore goalie Anton Nistl and senior defenseman Peter Pelle are the only returnees from a defense that blanked 11 opponents and yielded just 12 goals. Last season Nistl set a freshman record by registering a 0.53 goals-against-average. Pelle scored six goals and handed out five assists.

The Bruins extended the school’s longest unbeaten string to 39 games in 1986 before losing at Fresno State in the NCAA playoffs. UCLA has reached the NCAAs in each of the last four years, winning its only championship in 1985. Coach Sigi Schmid, 118-18-19 in seven years at his alma mater, expects many of his younger players to a make significant contributions.

UCLA will play its first exhibition Friday at Cal State Northridge at 7:30 p.m.