This post was updated Nov. 13 at 10:26 p.m.
Although a golden-goal overtime loss against Michigan State sent UCLA packing in the Big Ten tournament semifinal last week, the squad enters the NCAA tournament with a clean slate and an opportunity to redeem itself. No. 4 seed UCLA women’s soccer (11-5-3, 6-2-3 Big Ten) will begin the first round of tournament play at Wallis Annenberg Stadium on Saturday evening, facing West Coast Conference champion Pepperdine (11-6-2, 8-2-1 West Coast Conference). Should they win, the Bruins will continue through the 64-team tournament bracket, with potential rematches against No. 5 seed BYU (11-6-4, 4-5-2 Big 12), No. 1 seed Stanford (16-1-2, 9-0-1 ACC) and No. 2 seed Michigan State (12-3-6, 7-1-3) on the horizon. The Daily Bruin Sports women’s soccer beat predicts how the Bruins will fare in their quest for the championship.
Ella Dunderdale
Assistant Sports editor
Prediction: Third-round loss
The Bruins have a tough road ahead of them.
UCLA faces a particularly brutal combination of matchups as the No. 4 seed – starting with Pepperdine, which thrives on the road with a .682 away win percentage. And if the Bruins thwart the West Coast Conference champions, they face either Big 12 tournament champion BYU or Mountain West tournament champion Utah State.
I anticipate the Bruins will handle their first two matches, as both will likely be played on home turf. UCLA suffered its second loss of the season at the hands of No. 5 seed BYU via a penalty kick despite the Bruins outshooting the Cougars 19-11 and earning 11 corner kicks.
A potential rematch would likely tilt in UCLA’s favor.
But when it comes to the third round – likely a matchup against ACC champion and No. 1 seed Stanford – UCLA’s luck could run out.
UCLA boasts one accolade that none of Stanford’s other 17 opponents can claim – a win against it. And a shutout, at that.
In the Sept. 7 matchup, UCLA withstood a barrage of 21 shots from Stanford while recording just six of its own – two of which found the back of the net. However, that level of offensive efficiency has been the exception rather than the rule for the Bruins, who average 15.5 shots per game but convert on only 1.16.
And the Bruins would not have the advantage of their home turf this time around, either.
Ultimately, I don’t think the squad will be able to replicate its performance against a near-perfect Stanford squad that has scored an NCAA-leading 74 goals, notched by 15 different players.
Stanford won’t be caught off guard again.
And the matchup may mark the end of UCLA’s tournament run.
Finn Karish
Daily Bruin contributor
Prediction: Third-round Loss
The Bruins defied expectations with their 2-0 win against No. 1 Stanford on Sept. 7.
A couple of months later, that remains the Cardinal’s only loss of 2025 – and a potential rematch against No. 1 seed Stanford in the NCAA tournament third round could very well spell the end of No. 4 seed UCLA’s season.
In its golden-goal overtime loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals last Thursday, UCLA fell victim to a pattern that has plagued the squad all season – a low shot conversion percentage. The Bruins’ .075 mark falls well short of the .171 that the Cardinal has posted this season.
On the defensive side, however, the Bruins are better than ever. They have only conceded .42 goals per game – a mark that exceeds their 2022 defensive record, when they conceded .56 goals per game and won the national championship. Defenders senior Jennie Immethun and sophomore Paloma Daubert, both recent All-Big Ten honorees, will play key defensive roles in UCLA’s postseason run.
While goal scoring has been inconsistent, the Bruins should defeat both Pepperdine and, most likely, No. 5 seed BYU to reach the third round.
However, to defeat No. 1 Stanford, UCLA will need to repeat a season-topping performance and fire more shots into the back of the net.
Chloe Agas
Daily Bruin staff
Prediction: Championship loss
UCLA women’s soccer stood above the rest and hoisted a national championship trophy three years ago.
This season, the question isn’t if the Bruins can do it again – it’s if they will.
Though UCLA outshot Michigan State 15 to 10 and took an early lead with redshirt senior midfielder Emma Egizii’s goal in the 11th minute, the pack faltered as midfielder Emerson Sargeant scored both the equalizer in the second half and a tiebreaking strike at the 94th-minute mark.
The Bruins’ defense only conceded six goals in conference play – including the two that slipped through in the semifinal round last Thursday. They’ve limited their opponents to 129 shots, while logging 294 of their own this season.
In 19 matches, coach Margueritte Aozasa’s squad averaged 15.5 shots per game, with 45.6% landing on target and converting into 22 total goals. UCLA’s possession hasn’t been an issue – it’s the cracks that surface when the back line is tested.
After falling to the Spartans in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament, the Bruins are heading into the NCAA tournament with unfinished business – but the bracket isn’t doing them any favors.
If UCLA manages to advance against Pepperdine – a team it has not faced since its 1-0 loss last season – it will face No. 5-seed BYU or Utah State in the second round, with a potential third round matchup against No. 8-seed Alabama or No. 1-seed Stanford, the latter of which UCLA managed to defeat Sept. 7.
And things won’t slow down from there.
They may not be the same 22-2-1 team that powered to a national championship three years ago, but the Bruins have been here before.
And I hope they prove me wrong – because they still have what it takes.
They just need to finish the job.
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