The UCLA women’s soccer team is already in uncharted territory.
Heading into tonight’s first round match in the NCAA Tournament, the Bruins are the only team in the field of 64 that has been to the College Cup each of the last five years.
And while their success has been well-documented, their side of the bracket is clearly daunting and the expectation of getting to a sixth straight Final Four looms. It all starts with Fresno State.
The undefeated season, the record four goals against on the season and the five-year streak all go down the drain if they don’t beat the Bulldogs.
When asked what they knew about Fresno State, team members and coach Jillian Ellis, said they knew “nothing.”
“It’s better when you know more about a team, and we don’t know much about Fresno, so we’re definitely going to be training hard this year to be ready for whatever may come,” senior midfielder McCall Zerboni said.
The Bulldogs only played one team ranked in the top 25 this season and finished the year with an 11-8-2 record. The Bruins and Bulldogs played two common opponents, Oregon State and Portland State. Fresno tied Oregon State 1-1 and beat Portland State 1-0. UCLA struggled with the Beavers, but defeated them 2-1 in double overtime, and steamrolled Portland State 7-0.
If the Bruins do manage to beat the Bulldogs, they will take on either San Diego or Long Beach State on Sunday afternoon at Drake Stadium.
The Bruins defeated the Toreros 3-0 in early October, but the score was tied at 0-0 until just after halftime.