The season might be reaching an end, but it all starts now.
Tonight, the Bruins (18-1-1) will play their first game of the NCAA tournament against Tulsa (13-5-2) at Drake Stadium.
As the No. 1-seeded team in the bracket, UCLA received a first-round bye last weekend. Tulsa defeated Oakland, 3-2, in double-overtime to advance to tonight’s game.
“Tulsa has a very good, well-rounded team and they work well as a unit,” UCLA coach Tom Fitzgerald said. “It’ll be a tough game for us, which is what we want at this point.”
The Bruins finished their Pac-10 season in a fashion reflective of the rest of their season with a 5-0 victory over Oregon State, and have since been preparing for the road to the College Cup to defend their status as reigning national champions.
Tulsa, however, will present a significant challenge tonight before the Bruins can start planning their trip to the Final Four in Columbus, Ohio.
The Golden Hurricanes boast sophomore forward Ryan Pore, who has 19 goals and nine assists on the season and ranks first in the nation in goals per game and second in points per game. Combined with junior forward Kyle Brown who has 11 goals and 11 assists for the season, the duo will be a formidable pair at the top of the field.
“Tulsa is dangerous up top,” senior forward Matt Taylor said. “That’s the strongest part of their team. If anything it will be a high-scoring game.”
UCLA’s defense has been labeled Top 5 in the nation by College Soccer News, and no doubt has been waiting to do its share in defending the Bruins’ national championship.
“I think (our defense) will be adequately prepared, we just have to get on the field and execute and do all the things we’ve done to get us here, which is what we’re looking to do,” Fitzgerald said.
In addition to keeping the Pore-Brown combination in check, the UCLA offense will be looking to work together to net as many goals as possible. Taylor, named Pac-10 Player of the Year, leads the team in scoring, with 13 goals scored in 19 games played. Freshman forward Chad Barrett, Pac-10 Co-Freshman of the Year, follows closely behind Taylor with nine goals and eight assists.
“Our offense has been good all year,” senior forward Cliff McKinley said. “It’s a matter of getting good, easy touches. We just have to combine with midfielders and make good combinations.”