The season might be reaching an end, but it all starts now.
Tonight, the Bruins (18-1-1) will play their first game of the
NCAA tournament against Tulsa (13-5-2) at Drake Stadium.
As the No. 1-seeded team in the bracket, UCLA received a
first-round bye last weekend. Tulsa defeated Oakland, 3-2, in
double-overtime to advance to tonight’s game.
“Tulsa has a very good, well-rounded team and they work
well as a unit,” UCLA coach Tom Fitzgerald said.
“It’ll be a tough game for us, which is what we want at
this point.”
The Bruins finished their Pac-10 season in a fashion reflective
of the rest of their season with a 5-0 victory over Oregon State,
and have since been preparing for the road to the College Cup to
defend their status as reigning national champions.
Tulsa, however, will present a significant challenge tonight
before the Bruins can start planning their trip to the Final Four
in Columbus, Ohio.
The Golden Hurricanes boast sophomore forward Ryan Pore, who has
19 goals and nine assists on the season and ranks first in the
nation in goals per game and second in points per game. Combined
with junior forward Kyle Brown who has 11 goals and 11 assists for
the season, the duo will be a formidable pair at the top of the
field.
“Tulsa is dangerous up top,” senior forward Matt
Taylor said. “That’s the strongest part of their team.
If anything it will be a high-scoring game.”
UCLA’s defense has been labeled Top 5 in the nation by
College Soccer News, and no doubt has been waiting to do its share
in defending the Bruins’ national championship.
“I think (our defense) will be adequately prepared, we
just have to get on the field and execute and do all the things
we’ve done to get us here, which is what we’re looking
to do,” Fitzgerald said.
In addition to keeping the Pore-Brown combination in check, the
UCLA offense will be looking to work together to net as many goals
as possible. Taylor, named Pac-10 Player of the Year, leads the
team in scoring, with 13 goals scored in 19 games played. Freshman
forward Chad Barrett, Pac-10 Co-Freshman of the Year, follows
closely behind Taylor with nine goals and eight assists.
“Our offense has been good all year,” senior forward
Cliff McKinley said. “It’s a matter of getting good,
easy touches. We just have to combine with midfielders and make
good combinations.”