One of the nation’s strongest schedules and a third
consecutive conference championship weren’t enough for UCLA
to impress the NCAA men’s soccer committee.
The third-ranked Bruins, a perennial men’s soccer
powerhouse, did not earn a top-four seed like they had hoped.
Instead, the NCAA committee relegated them to the No. 6 seed
““ a result that left UCLA in disbelief when it came on the
television Monday afternoon.
“In draws and brackets, expectations are very high, but
the reality is you’re not going to have your expectations
fulfilled,” coach Jorge Salcedo said. “We thought we
were going to be a top-four seed according to our record and
strength of schedule, and the committee saw otherwise. But I told
the guys it doesn’t matter really anyway.”
UCLA’s road to the NCAA College Cup will start with a bye,
followed by a second-round match against the winner of the
first-round meeting between Loyola Marymount and Cal State
Northridge.
One of the reasons UCLA may have received an unfavorable seeding
could have been their 1-0 loss to Oregon State just after clinching
the conference title over Washington. The Beavers hadn’t won
a conference game all season until playing the Bruins.
Now, with a sixth seed, UCLA finds itself hosting through the
third round and possibly having to go on the road in the
quarterfinals.
“I’m angry at ourselves about that loss to Oregon
State; that lapse in concentration cost us our top-four
seed,” sophomore forward Chad Barrett said. “It made it
a little harder on ourselves for this trip.”
Despite the disheartening news, senior forward Mike Enfield put
a positive spin on the Bruins’ postseason hopes.
“Seeding is just a number. Teams are going to have to beat
teams, and if you’re on the road or at home, you’re
going to have to play good teams,” Enfield said. “Plus,
there’s always going to be upsets that happen.
“We’re still positive. We can’t expect to be
anywhere. Everyone was hoping to be in the top four, but sometimes
you just have to roll with what you get.”
Last year, the Bruins’ run to the NCAA College Cup was
thwarted by eventual national champion Indiana in the
quarterfinals. If everything goes to form, UCLA could potentially
face Indiana in the Final Four this year for redemption.
“We still taste last year’s loss in our
mouths’,” Barrett said. “So we’re gonna
come out firing.”
After the announcement, Salcedo pulled the team aside and told
his players to be concerned with playing in the present and not
looking too far down the road.
“I told the guys, let’s just think about preparing
for the first game, not looking forward and fast-forwarding to who
we potentially can play in the quarterfinals, because if
we’re not winning our first game, it doesn’t matter who
gets where,” Salcedo said.
Seeding aside, the Bruins find themselves playing the best
soccer they have all year.
They’re scoring consistently, the defense can contain the
nation’s best offenses and they have won eight of their last
nine games.
If anything, all arrows point to the Bruins making a run for
their second championship in three years.
And to get to that point, the Bruins will have to overlook that
number six.