This post was updated Nov. 13 at 10:20 p.m.
78 seconds.
That’s how long the Terrapins had spent trailing to an opponent all season.
That is, until the Bruins came into town, took down the No. 1 team in the country and added 997 seconds onto that total.
No. 4 seed UCLA men’s soccer (7-6-4, 6-3-2 Big Ten) upset No. 1 seed Maryland (12-1-3, 8-1-2) by a score of 2-0 in College Park on Wednesday night in the semifinal of the Big Ten tournament, all but guaranteeing itself a spot in the NCAA tournament and locking in its place in the Big Ten tournament final.
The Bruins are the only team in the nation to hold the top-ranked Terrapins scoreless this season. Now, they’ve managed it twice.
And now, they are the first team to pull off a win.
“We knew about the responsibility that we had before the game, having the possibility to beat No. 1 in the country,” said redshirt sophomore Sergi Solans Ormo. “We did it.”
Five games into the season, UCLA didn’t have a single win to its name and had only scored two goals.
But with an upset over the top team in the country, the Bruins have officially turned it all around, and have given themselves a chance to earn a program-first Big Ten title when they face No. 3 seed Michigan on Sunday.
“The important thing for a coach is to not let the guys ever think that you don’t have belief in what they’re capable of,” said coach Ryan Jorden. “Once you start winning games or scoring goals – or both – the belief in what you’re trying to communicate with them about what your capabilities are, it can really blossom and grow.”
A goal in the 74th minute from freshman midfielder Ander Marticorena gave UCLA the lead over Maryland.
The Bruins had struggled to find Solans Ormo in his usual place – cutting behind defenses and sprinting after the ball.
But a ball over the top of the defense from freshman midfielder Adrian Aguilar found Solans Ormo, who cut the ball across to Marticorena with his first touch. Marticorena nailed his left-footed shot to the bottom left corner and past Maryland goalkeeper Laurin Mack.
“I had the opportunity to run behind – that is one of my strengths,” Solans Ormo said. “And then I heard something about Ander behind me. So I tried to cut. And then Ander did the last piece that is the most difficult one.”
Solans Ormo tacked on an insurance goal in the 84th minute, again connecting with Marticorena to find the back of the net.
Sophomore defender Shakir Nixon fired a cross to Marticorena, whose shot was redirected into the back of the net by Solans Ormo, all but finalizing the win over the nation’s top team.
With the Bruins up 2-0 and five minutes to go, UCLA’s earlier defense – which had successfully kept Maryland and its two leading scorers, forwards Sadam Masereka and Stephane Njike, out of the net – paid off.
“I’m very proud of my teammates. They did an incredible job,” Solans Ormo said. “Mimy (graduate student defender Schinieder Mimy), Shak (Nixon) – they defend amazing. The best players that they have in Maryland – both wingers – they didn’t do anything because our left backs were very good.”
The first half featured a possession battle between UCLA and Maryland, with the latter taking a 7-2 advantage in shots – including one shot on goal for the Terrapins. For the first 45 minutes, UCLA stood strong on defense as the backline shut out Masereka and Nijke, who have combined for 16 goals this season.
“What really worked well was our attacking marking against them,” Mimy said. “We knew that they had fast guys on top, so we just couldn’t let them have the ball. We had to be there with them.”
One Maryland chance came 10 minutes into the game when UCLA awkwardly controlled the ball defensively, and instead of clearing it, Nixon opted for a diving header to weakly nudge it back to graduate student goaltender Kevin Box – forcing him to jump out to grab the ball from the feet of Njike.
In the 68th minute, Box received a pass from his defender, but took too long to send the ball out of the box, which allowed the Maryland forward to pounce, forcing the Bruins’ goalkeeper to shoulder charge the Terrapin and send the ball out for a corner.
Despite needing multiple saves and defensive tackles, the Bruins managed a clean slate against one of the most efficient offenses in the nation.
And with the win, UCLA has put itself in a good place for the rest of the postseason – setting up another meeting with Michigan in the Big Ten tournament final and establishing an undeniable record for the NCAA selection committee to consider.
“Our confidence is high, our momentum is maybe one of the best in the country,” Solans Ormo said. “And we need to take this and prove it on Sunday.”
