Smiles were on the faces of the UCLA men’s soccer team.
Previously ranked No. 6 in the country, the Bruins were awarded the
No. 3 seed for the NCAA tournament.
“The No. 3 seed is very cool,” senior midfielder
Ryan Futagaki said. “We didn’t think we’d be that
high.”
A panoply of losses among the top teams in the nation helped
UCLA move up. No. 4 St. John’s lost to No. 7 Connecticut, No.
6 Virginia lost to Maryland while Connecticut also lost to Boston
College.
To their credit, the Bruins clinched the Pac-10 title Sunday
with a 3-1 win over Fresno State to solidify their position.
The Bruins will play the winner of the Loyola Marymount and Cal
State Northridge on Nov. 27 at Drake Stadium.
“The 10 days off is an advantage,” head coach Tom
Fitzgerald said. “We’ll take a couple of days off, then
work really hard, and tone it down before the game.”
The Bruins get a first-round bye because of their No. 3 seeding.
Due to the tournament’s 48-team field, 16 teams have to have
a bye. The first-round games will be played this week.
In the second round, UCLA will likely face LMU (14-3-2, 4-2 West
Coast Conference). The Lions beat the Bruins in their only meeting
this year 2-0 on Sept. 22.
“I’d expect a game with them to be very
physical,” senior forward Tim Pierce said. “We have a
rivalry with them; it would be high-tempo.” The Bruins’
loss to LMU in September was on the road. This time, the match is
at Drake Stadium.
“I don’t think anyone can beat us when we play our
best, especially at home where we play much better,” Futagaki
said.
If the Bruins keep on winning, they won’t have to travel
until the Final Four. Also in UCLA’s bracket are Cal (a
possible third-round matchup), No. 6-seeded Virginia and No. 2
Maryland. Wake Forest was given the No. 1 seed.