This post was updated Nov. 25 at 12:02 a.m.

The NCAA’s essence is unpredictability – no guarantees, no set system – and for the Bruins, it spelled a fleeting win slipping through their grasp like sand through fingers.

No. 2 seed UCLA women’s soccer (17-4-3, 8-1-2 Big Ten) fell to No. 7 seed Virginia Tech (13-5-3, 6-2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) by a score of 2-1 Friday night at Wallis Annenberg Stadium, shattering the Bruins’ postseason hopes and sending the Hokies to the third round for the first time since 2018.

UCLA advanced to Friday’s second round after a 2-1 overtime defeat of Cal Baptist at Wallis Annenberg Stadium in a penalty shootout, while Virginia Tech overcame Tennessee 2-1 to advance to the second round.

“I’m just really proud of our team,” said senior defender Lilly Reale. “The fight that we had, the passion that we had, the love that we have for each other. I think no one loves losing, but it teaches you a lot. This season taught me more than any of my past seasons.”

In the 16th minute, junior midfielder Sofia Cook made a promising attempt that narrowly missed, hitting the edge of the net. During the 16th minute and 46th second, junior forward Bridgette Marin-Valencia dispatched another attempt for the Bruins – one that was saved by Hokie goalkeeper Lauren Hargrove, earning a corner kick. This led to another off-target attempt by Cook – all in the span of one minute.

The Hokies’ long attempt was dangerously close – leading to a collision between Hargrove and a Bruin – but the ball was swiftly cleared from entry. Despite yet another late attempt by senior defender/forward Quincy McMahon, UCLA still couldn’t find the back of the net, leaving the first half locked at 0-0.

The Bruins opened the second half by accidentally giving the Hokies their first goal of the night, scoring an own goal to put the visitors up one.

It seemed to trigger offensive firepower for the Hokies, who drilled another less than two minutes later when forward/midfielder Natalie Mitchell struck again, extending the lead to 2-0.

“Unfortunate. We didn’t give up bad goals all year, and we gave up two tonight, back-to-back,” said coach Margueritte Aozasa.

UCLA had faced adversity before and was no stranger to mounting comebacks under pressure. Senior defender Ayo Oke found the back of the net off an assist from McMahon, pulling the Bruins somewhat back into the match.

But despite its best efforts, UCLA couldn’t overcome the deficit.

“I thought we had more than enough to win the game, even when we went down to zero,” Aozasa said. “Those last 30 minutes really felt like we were going to come back, and sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t.”

UCLA was stuck playing catch-up through the match’s remainder – even though it outshot Virginia Tech by 10 shots and had 10 corner kicks compared to one from its foe. Friday night proved a testament to the unpredictable nature of the national tournament.

The final score may not have mirrored UCLA’s hopes – but the team’s veterans have stamped a long-lasting impact on this program.

“What we asked of them is to play with the work ethic that Quincy has had in her career here,” Aozasa said. “Play with the leadership that Lilly has shown, with the overall talent and creativity that Shine (graduate student midfielder Sunshine Fontes) has played with. All the seniors have added something to this group, and now we feel like it’s our responsibility to keep that going.”