When UCLA women’s soccer saw its name drawn for the NCAA Tournament on Monday afternoon, the result brought on a minor degree of surprise.
Fresh off beating No. 5 USC, UCLA (13-5-1, 7-3-1 Pac-12) landed a No. 4 seed.
[Related:New formation powers women’s soccer to an upset win over No. 5 USC]
“A little surprised we’re not a three seed, but at some point it comes down to where they need to send teams and matchups, and the conference rules about not playing each other early on,” said coach Amanda Cromwell.
Further surprise came from which quadrant of the 64-team draw they landed in.
Rather than a West Coast powerhouse and conference rival, like Stanford, the top seed in UCLA’s region is No. 1 West Virginia (19-1-1, 8-0-0 Big 12).
“We thought USC and Stanford were going to be one seeds, so we thought we would be a three in one of those brackets,” Cromwell said. “When we didn’t see ourselves on that side of the bracket, we were a little surprised.”
[Related: UCLA women’s soccer stumbles en route to NCAA Tournament]
In the opening round, UCLA faces Seattle University (14-5-1, 7-0-0 WAC) – the WAC champions. The Bruins host the match Friday night, likely their last game at Drake Stadium this year.
Barring a West Virginia loss, the team will pack their bags for a cross-country trip should they win.
“It’s nice being out of the bracket of rivals and top opponents in the Pac-12 and going to play other conferences,” Cromwell said. “I think the girls are excited. It’s a potential trip to the East coast.”
The No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the quadrant are Notre Dame and Duke, respectively.
Another potentially tough competitor is Nebraska, the team UCLA could face in the second round. The Cornhuskers, who face Summit League champions South Dakota State in the first round, sit at No. 17 in the latest RPI rankings – right behind the Bruins.
Second round matches are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 18, while the third round will take place on the following Sunday, and quarterfinal games will be played Nov. 25 or 26. Should UCLA advance out of its quadrant, the 35th annual NCAA Women’s College Cup will be held Dec. 2 and 4 at Avaya Stadium in San Jose.
The Bruins missed out on the tournament last year, but are back in the dance this time around, seeking their second NCAA championship after winning it all in 2013.