Every team gets a final note, but few get to choose the key.

Friday will determine whether the Bruins’ season ends in harmony or dissonance.

No. 14 UCLA women’s soccer (11-4-2, 8-2-1 Big Ten) will close out regular season play Friday against crosstown rival USC (2-9-6, 1-6-4) at Rawlinson Stadium in its first time playing there since it opened in 2025. The battle for Los Angeles brings bragging rights along with a Big Ten tournament seed.

UCLA leads the rivalry’s all-time record 17-6-3, but the teams have been closely matched in recent years. USC won 1-0 in 2024, and last year’s match ended 0-0. The Bruins’ most recent win was a 4-2 victory at home in 2023.

The Westwood squad is out of the race for the conference title but are tied in points with Purdue for second place at 25, holding the head-to-head tiebreaker. A win over the Trojans would lock up the No. 2 seed entering the conference tournament. Otherwise, UCLA could fall as low as No. 4, as fourth-place Michigan State is just a point behind.

“It’s unfortunate that we’re out of the title race, but right now we’re fighting for the seeding,” said head coach Gof Boyoko. “We want to make sure that we finish as high as possible, which is second.”

But Boyoko expects the rivalry matchup to bring its own motivation.

“USC’s season is over, so I know they’re going to try to end their season on a good note,” he said. “For us, it’s just to get ready for the tournament. It’s like a tournament game. We respect what they can do, and we know that it’s a big rivalry game.”

USC’s two season wins are a 4-0 victory over New Mexico State on Aug. 27 and a 3-0 win at Northwestern on Oct. 17. The Trojans also tied then-No. 1 Stanford 2-2 on Sept. 3 – seven days after UCLA lost to Stanford 3-0. Midfielder Eleanor Morrissey leads the Trojans in scoring with eight points from two goals and four assists.

The Trojans’ leadership is also particularly strong, with head coach Jane Alukonis – who was a UCLA assistant coach from 2018 to 2021 – earning the 2024 Big Ten Coach of the Year.

UCLA is coming off a mixed week. It drew Washington 0-0 and lost 1-0 at Iowa before beating Nebraska 2-1 on Sunday with two first-half goals.

Anna Wilson, the freshman defender who scored both a goal and an assist in UCLA’s win over Nebraska, said the team’s approach was calm in the face of pressure in their box.

“It was a lot about discipline and making sure that we did a good job to win our battles in the air, trap our runners in the box and just make it as difficult as we could for them to get on the end of the ball,” Wilson said. “They had a lot of crosses in the box.”

Wilson also noted the pressure of playing in a rivalry game, especially as a freshman.

“I’ve heard that rivalry games are always difficult every year,” she said. “Definitely going into that mindset to keep that same discipline, that same hunger for that next game.”

Junior midfielder Cate Sarinopoulos said the team is looking forward to a rivalry game.

“Everyone’s feeling good and just really excited,” she said. “A rivalry always brings the best out of each side.”