For the second year in a row, it has brought the Pac-10
conference championship back to Westwood. Now, it’s going for
the record books.
If the No. 1 UCLA men’s soccer team (17-1, 9-0 Pac-10)
defeats the University of San Diego (12-4-2, 4-1 WCC) on the road
tonight, the Bruins will tie the 1970 UCLA team with 16 consecutive
wins.
“We want to continue our winning streak; that’s the
most important thing,” coach Tom Fitzgerald said.
“San Diego always seems to give us a problem, so
we’re looking forward to playing,” he said.
Until earlier this month, the Toreros experienced a winning
streak of their own, netting 11 victories from late September to
late October, but have dropped their last two games to Portland and
Santa Clara on the road.
UCLA leads the series against USD 15-4-2, but the Toreros
haven’t gone down without a fight. Ranked No. 11 last year,
the Toreros were defeated for the first time that season, 3-1, off
Tim Pierce, Adolfo Gregorio and Matt Taylor goals at Drake
Stadium.
In addition to adding another victory to their records, the
Bruins are vying for the top seed in the NCAA tournament bracket.
Including tonight’s game, if the Bruins win their remaining
two matchups, their overall record will be unsurpassable.
The only other team closely trailing UCLA is Maryland, which
stands at No. 2 in the polls. If the Terrapins win their remaining
three games, they will improve their 16-2 overall record to 19
wins, tying the Bruins if they, too, win their remaining two
games.
NCAA seeding is determined by the Ratings Percentage Index, a
mathematical formula which takes into account the difficulty of a
team’s schedule and the resulting record. With two more wins,
the Bruins seem well on their way to the top spot in the tournament
seeding.
“I think two wins should be able to do that,”
Fitzgerald said. “But Maryland, Wake Forrest, Old Dominion
““ there are teams with strong schedules, and the RPI in a
schedule makes a big difference.”