LOS ANGELES – On the morning of April 29th, UC San Diego's Jake Serpa signed with the LA Force FC, a professional soccer club in Los Angeles that is a part of the National Independent Soccer Association.
 
Serpa completed his time at UC San Diego this past fall with a degree in International Business. A product of Santa Clara, Serpa was a junior transfer from the University of San Francisco where he competed in 24 matches over two seasons.
 
As a Triton, the graduate was a consistent contributor on the defensive end, helping the Tritons hold teams to an average of one goal per game over two seasons. He was the only Triton to play every minute of all 18 matches in the 2022 season for a total of 1,616 minutes. Serpa also assisted the Tritons in the move from NCAA Division II to Division I play, helping improve UC San Diego to an 8-8-2 overall record after debuting in DI with a 5-11 record in 2021.
 
The LA Force is a part of the National Independent Soccer Association. The NISA originally began in 2019 joining the Major League Soccer and United Soccer League divisions. NISA a third-division professional league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation and shares the third division of professional soccer in America with USL League One.
 
Serpa joins the likes of Brett Jones and Josh Cohen '13 who both play professionally. Jones joined the NISA in its inaugural season with Chattanooga FC and Cohen plays abroad for the notable Maccabi Haifa FC in the Israeli Premier League.
 
The LA Force 2023 season is underway with the next match set to begin at 3:00 pm on April 29 vs. Club De Lyon FC in Orlando, Fla.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.