Daily Bruin Sports looks at three remaining teams in NCAA playoffs
No. 2 men’s soccer
No. 2 seed UCLA men’s soccer is in the midst of its deepest postseason run since 2011, and is coming off arguably in its best offensive performance of the season in the third round match against No. 15 seed Cal last weekend.
Though the Bruins (13-4-4) have been without one of their most dynamic scorers – freshman forward Seyi Adekoya – and one of their top defenders – sophomore Nathan Smith – for the entire postseason, it has not held them back, as other players have stepped up in their places. In UCLA’s 3-2 win over Cal, the Bruins’ three goals were scored by freshman defender Chase Gasper, sophomore forward Brian Iloski and junior midfielder Jordan Vale, all of whom had yet to net a goal all season.
“We’re all being able to fluidly fit in with the team,” Vale said.
A few things bode well for the Bruins going forward. First, their NCAA quarterfinal matchup this Saturday will be against a team they had already defeated in late August this season – the North Carolina Tar Heels – and it will be played in the Bruins’ den at Drake Stadium. Second, UCLA is the highest remaining seed left in the tournament, meaning that if the Bruins can get past UNC and to the College Cup in Cary, N.C., they will most likely be the favorite to win.
Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.
No. 1 men’s water polo
At times throughout the 2014 season, UCLA men’s water polo has not always appeared to be a national title contender. Despite their 27-3 record, the Bruins can be inconsistent in the pool – unsure on offense and hesitant on defense. Other teams, such as USC and Stanford, have exploited these weaknesses during the SoCal Tournament hosted at Spieker Aquatic Center, while CSU Long Beach surprised UCLA in the MPSF semifinals. While the Bruins recovered from that unpredictable defeat to the 49ers, earning third in the conference tournament and the No. 1 NCAA seed, the fact remains that UCLA has failed to capitalize this season when it’s mattered the most. UCLA will likely defeat UC San Diego in the NCAA semifinals based on previous matchups, but the championship match against either USC or Stanford will be significantly tougher.
Compiled by Claire Fahy, Bruin Sports senior staff.
No. 12 women’s volleyball
Women’s volleyball has had an up-and-down regular season where they ended the with a 20-11 record, but the Bruins also played a majority of their games within Pac-12 – one of the toughest conferences in women’s volleyball.
At the end of the journey, UCLA has earned a favorable No. 12 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, and the right to host the first round matchup against LIU Brooklyn on Friday in Pauley Pavilion. Should the team progress to the second round, they’ll earn another match against the winner of the Long Beach State and San Diego matchup.
The biggest immediate challenge for UCLA seems to be a potential third round matchup against the defending national champions – No. 5 seed Penn State. If the Bruins manage to stage an upset in the Louisville Regional, they just might be able to gain enough momentum to repeat something similar to their national championship run of 2011. Coincidentally, during that run, then-No. 9 UCLA was able to upset then-No. 8 Penn State in the third round before winning it all in San Antonio.
Compiled by Aubrey Yeo, Bruin Sports senior staff.
