UCLA Faces Cal Poly in Tourney Opener
November 16, 2015 | Men's Soccer
LOS ANGELES – The four-time National Champion UCLA Men's Soccer team has earned an at-large bid to the 2015 NCAA Tournament, it was announced today by the Division I Men's Soccer committee. The Bruins will begin their quest for a fifth title on Thursday, November 19 against the Cal Poly Mustangs. UCLA will play its first round contest at home at Drake Stadium at 7:00pm PT.
“The NCAA Tournament is the best part of the year,” said UCLA Head Coach Jorge Salcedo. “Everyone has the same goal, but only one team will be happy come December 13.”
The tournament berth marks the 33rd consecutive trip to the postseason for UCLA and the 43rd overall appearance in program history, the most of any team in the field. In 111 postseason matches, the Bruins have a 72-39 overall record, including 14 College Cup and nine NCAA Final appearances.
The winner of the match between UCLA and Cal Poly will travel to play the 11-seed Seattle University Redhawks on Sunday, November 22. On the other side of the grouping, Dartmouth and Hartwick will play for a chance to face the six-seed Syracuse Orangemen.
“Our regular season game versus Cal Poly has no effect on the tournament game this Thursday,” continued Salcedo. “The playoffs are a different season and we will prepare for a team that has had a very good year. Our guys are excited to get the tournament started.”
UCLA holds an 11-2-4 all-time record against Cal Poly, including a, 4-1, home victory earlier this season. The two sides have split two previous postseason meetings, with the Bruins claiming a, 2-1, win in the first round of the 1995 NCAA Tournament, and the Mustangs claiming a, 1-0, victory in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Under Coach Salcedo, UCLA has gone 3-2-2 in seven meetings with Cal Poly.
The Bruins are joined by eight-seed Stanford as the only two Pac-12 schools to be selected.
UCLA enters the tournament with an overall record of 10-8-1 and 5-4-1 in the Pac-12 Conference. The Bruins have been propelled this season by one of the best offenses in the country. Among all Division I teams, UCLA is tied for second in goals per game (2.37) and tied for fourth in total goals (45). The Bruins represent one of just three teams in the country to have three 20+ point scorers (Seyi Adekoya, Abu Danladi and Jose Hernandez) and one of just five teams in the country to have two double-digit goal scorers (Adekoya and Hernandez). Freshman Jose Hernandez is having an excellent rookie campaign, sitting just one goal shy of tying the UCLA freshman record of 12 goals set by David Estrada in 2006.
Tickets for Thursday's first round match are $10 for adults and $8 for youth/students (w/valid ID) and can be purchased in advance at the UCLA Central Ticket Office (310-UCLA-WIN) or online here. The game will also feature a live audio broadcast which can be heard at UCLABruins.com.
