This post was updated Nov. 5 at 11:52 p.m.

A conference tournament will determine the Bruins’ postseason fate for the first time in program history.

In its inaugural postseason conference tournament, No. 6 seed UCLA men’s soccer (6-5-5, 3-4-3 Big Ten) will face No. 3 seed Maryland (8-4-5, 5-3-2) on Thursday afternoon at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinal. The Bruins’ NCAA tournament aspirations rely on their performance in the conference tournament, particularly considering their inconsistent record.

The winner of the tournament will be given an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament while the rest of the Big Ten will have to wait for selection show Nov. 18. This postseason process is a stark contrast from previous years where the regular season winner of the Pac-12 was given the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

“It’s do or die now,” said senior defender and team captain Pietro Grassi. “So all the little mistakes that we’ve been making, all the really good stuff that we’re able to accomplish, we just have to put it together in one complete performance and go step by step, because we don’t have a safety net anymore.”

In the Bruins’ first matchup against the Terrapins on Oct. 21, they tied the then-No. 6 Terps 1-1 in College Park, Maryland. The contest between the two teams less than two weeks ago was relatively equally matched, with the Bruins recording eight shots with five on target and the Terps logging 12 with three on target.

UCLA will enter Thursday’s affair riding a two-game losing streak – a stark contrast from the last time it faced Maryland where it had won back-to-back games, including a 2-1 thriller against then-No. 2 Ohio State and a 3-0 shutout against Rutgers.

This time around, UCLA is coming off two consecutive losses at home – a 2-1 defeat to then-No. 25 Indiana and a 1-0 loss on senior night to Washington.

Despite this rocky streak, sophomore defender Philip Naef said he believes his team has what it takes to go the distance.

“I still think that we can achieve a lot together so I’m not too worried about the future,” Naef said. “We just have to put everything behind us and take it step by step every day … then I don’t think anything can stop us.”

Maryland, meanwhile, will come into the matchup with two of the top scorers in the conference – midfielder Leon Koehl and forward Colin Griffith.

The tandem has recorded a combined 12 goals and two assists this regular season while also contributing a combined 51 shots with 21 on target, ultimately leading to the Terps being ranked fourth in the conference in goals.

Koehl’s bread and butter comes from the penalty spot though. The Cologne, Germany, local has converted all six of his penalty kicks this season.

The Terps’ extensive offensive production is most likely due to their ability to create an abundance of scoring opportunities. They rank fifth in the conference in assists with 27, and have four players with at least three assists – including forward Max Rogers who notched seven assists in the regular season, along with two goals.

While Maryland excels offensively, it also does a great job of keeping the ball out of the back of its net. Maryland goalkeeper Laurin Mack has logged 1,395 minutes this season through 16 appearances. The Emmendingen, Germany, local recorded a 1.16 goals against average in 2024 along with 45 saves and three clean sheets.

“We have got to create enough goal scoring chances, and the two things I just spoke about would be the things that would create those opportunities,” said coach Ryan Jorden. Then we’ve got to just be willing to hold each other accountable enough to get actions and work that we need so that we can not concede a bad goal.”

The Bruins will face the Terps in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinal in Bridgeview, Illinois, at 2:30 p.m. Thursday.