This post was updated Nov. 7 at 11:51 p.m.

A win of historic proportions propelled the Bruins forward Thursday.

No. 6 seed UCLA men’s soccer (7-5-5, 3-4-3 Big Ten) dismantled No. 3 seed Maryland by a score of 6-0 Thursday afternoon in its inaugural Big Ten tournament quarterfinal. The Bruins’ victory over the Terrapins solidified their berth in Sunday’s semifinal against No. 7 seed Michigan.

Sophomore defender Philip Naef, who recorded two assists and his debut goal, said his sister, who was involved in a car crash a few years ago, had her birthday today.

“It’s very emotional, and I dedicate that performance to her and how proud I am of her recovering,” Naef said. “It means a lot.”

Through the first 30 minutes of the game, UCLA dominated possession but struggled to create scoring chances. Toward the end of the first half, Maryland showed more signs of life with more possession and a shot on goal.

However, with 11 minutes to go, senior defender Pablo Greenlee threw the ball deep into Maryland’s defensive third to Naef. 

As two defenders converged on him, Naef knocked a first-time pass to redshirt senior forward Jose Contell, who took a first touch in the opposite direction and rocketed the ball past Maryland goalkeeper Laurin Mack, blasting the game open for UCLA.

“The difference was we took the first chance tonight,” said coach Ryan Jorden. “Now the opponent can’t sit and be compact.”

It didn’t take long for UCLA to build on its lead. After entering the game in the 42nd minute, freshman midfielder Tamir Ratoviz drove the ball down the center of the field, releasing a pass to Nicholas Cavallo down the left wing. The graduate student defender crossed the ball across the entire Maryland 18-yard box to the back post, clearing every defender for Naef to tap in his first career goal.

Entering the second half up 2-0, the Bruins did not take their foot off the pedal. The Terps struggled to maintain possession or threaten the Bruins’ net.

In the 53rd minute, Naef, again, raced down the right side and passed the ball across the 18-yard box to senior forward Andre Ochoa, who netted his second goal of the season and Naef’s team-leading eighth assist in 2024.

“It was our energy and our determination – knowing that if we lost today, it would have been the end of our season,” Ochoa said.

Less than three minutes later, junior forward Nikolai Rojel controlled a pass from Naef and delivered a chipped, curling pass across Maryland’s box, clearing the entire defense. Graduate student midfielder Edrey Caceres met the ball and volleyed it into the bottom right corner of the net, propelling the Bruins to 4-0 with 36 minutes left in the game.

Ochoa added that the team’s offensive strategy does not always have to be complicated.

“Just give Phil the ball, have him work his magic and cross the ball, and we’ll score,” he said.

Jorden added that Naef is often best for the team when he comes off the bench, finding spaces and asking questions about the defense.

Despite a comfortable lead, UCLA didn’t give in. 

Ratoviz dribbled up the field in the 67th minute and dealt the ball to graduate student midfielder/forward Sveinn Hauksson. The Dalvik, Iceland, local took three touches, adjusted his body and curled a shot into the bottom right corner of Maryland’s net for his third goal of the season.

Turning a rout into a riot, UCLA capped the night off in the 76th minute, when freshman forward Artem Vovk fired a shot with his left foot into the bottom left corner of Maryland’s goal.

Thursday’s showdown will go down in both team’s histories – but for different reasons.

Maryland, which ranked as high as No. 2 as recently as Oct. 25, hadn’t suffered a loss of more than six goals in 40 years. Similarly, UCLA hadn’t scored six goals in a game since a 6-1 win against Akron in 2016.

“My message to them afterwards was just, ‘About time,’” Jorden said. “We know we’ve been capable of getting this kind of result.”

Despite the victory, Jorden added that the team could have killed off the game earlier and better possessed the ball after maintaining a large advantage. 

The Bruins will have a chance to answer their coach’s call Sunday.  

“Michigan is obviously a strong team as well, so when we step on that pitch, it’s going to be an equal game,” Naef added. “If we keep our focus and we focus on the next challenge, we can win for sure.”