On a chilly November night in 2012, the UCLA men’s soccer team took the Drake Stadium field for its second-round NCAA tournament game.
Playing the San Diego Toreros, the Bruins found themselves in a deadlocked game 60 minutes in.
Then, the tide quickly began to shift.
In the 65th minute, San Diego slapped in the tie-breaking goal.
A minute later, they knocked in an insurance goal.
And after that, for good measure, they punched in one last goal – punching UCLA out of the NCAA tournament.
What seemed like a favorable second-round draw for the sixth-seeded Bruins became one of the tournament’s biggest upsets.
This Sunday, UCLA (11-3-4) will once again take the Drake Stadium field for its second-round NCAA tournament game, playing Elon.
This year, the Bruins are hoping for a much different result.
Seeded No. 1 overall, UCLA, though, has much larger goals than a second-round victory. The team is looking to capture the program’s fifth national title and its first since 2002.
The toughest opponent in UCLA’s region appears to be the next highest seeded team – No. 8 seed Virginia. The two teams would meet in the quarterfinals, which follows the second and third rounds.
If the Bruins advance past the quarterfinals, UCLA would travel to Philadelphia, Pa., for the College Cup. There, in the semifinals, the Bruins could square off against Pac-12 rival and No. 4 seed Cal Golden Bears – the highest seeded team in the opposite region.
Cal and UCLA have met twice this season, with each team winning one game apiece in two tightly contested matches.
The Bruins have also played the two highest seeded teams on the other side of the bracket – No. 2 seed Washington (one UCLA win and one tie) and No. 3 seed Notre Dame (one tie).
The Bruins could potentially meet either of these teams in the national championship game.
But UCLA can’t catch itself looking that far ahead just yet.
After all, it is only the second round.
Compiled by Chris Kalra, Bruin Sports senior staff.