UCLA men’s soccer is 30-3-2 all-time against UC Santa Barbara. But the Bruins would have surely traded in all 30 of those wins for just one against the Gauchos in 2006, when UCSB defeated UCLA 2-1 in the NCAA Championship.
Since that loss, the Bruins have only faced the Gauchos once, playing to a 2-2 tie in a regular-season match at Drake Stadium in on Oct. 1 last season. It was not quite the revenge that the Bruins had hoped for.
But this Sunday, UCLA will have yet another chance to avenge that 2006 National Championship loss when they host UCSB in the third round of this year’s NCAA tournament.
The No. 10 Gauchos are not seeded in this year’s tournament and received an at-large invitation after losing to UC Irvine in the Big West Championship game. They finished the regular season with a record of 15-4-2.
In the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament, UCSB took down Wofford and 11th-seeded San Diego, respectively, both by the score of 1-0.
The Bruins, who finished the regular season with a record of 10-3-4 and won the Pac-10 Championship, were awarded a slightly easier path than the Gauchos. UCLA had a first-round bye, and then defeated an at-large team in Sacramento State, 2-1, in the second round.
The third round match between the two UC’s will take place Sunday at 5 p.m. at Drake Stadium.
Compiled by Brantley Watson, Bruin Sports senior staff.