Four men’s soccer teams selected for NCAA Tournament

NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship Bracket

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - WASHINGTON, UCLA, CALIFORNIA and STANFORD were all selected to participate in the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship tournament, as announced by the NCAA today. It marks the first time since 2006 that the Pac-12 has had four teams selected for the tournament, and three of the four teams are seeded in the top four of the tournament selections.

Washington, UCLA and Cal all earned first-round byes and will host the second-round games. UCLA is seeded No. 1 overall in the bracket and will host either Elon or Clemson in their second-round game on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 8 p.m. PT. The Bruins finished the regular season second in the Pac-12 standings with an 11-3-4 overall record and a 6-1-3 Conference record, including a four-game win streak at the end of the season that saw UCLA upset then-No. 3 Washington and No. 1 California.  

Washington, which is seeded second overall in the tournament, will take on the winner of the first-round game between Creighton and Seattle on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 5 p.m. PT. The Huskies clinched the Pac-12 Championship on Sunday after a 1-0 victory over OREGON STATE propelled them over UCLA into first place in the Conference standings. Washington finished 14-1-4 overall with a 7-1-2 record in Pac-12 play, with their won-loss-tied percentage of .842 ranking second nationally. 

California is seeded fourth and will face off against the winner of the first-round game between Northwestern and Bradley on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 1:30 p.m. PT. The Bears rounded out the season with a 12-4-2 overall record, going 6-3-1 in Pac-12 play for a third-place finish. The three Conference losses included two tough overtime matches at the end of the season against No. 3 Washington and Pac-12 rival Stanford. 

Stanford is the only Pac-12 team with a game in the first round. The Cardinal will take on Loyola Marymount on its home turf at The Farm Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. PT. The winner of the match will advance to the second round and travel to face Cal State Northridge. Stanford finished its season 9-6-3 overall and 3-5-2 in Pac-12 play, closing the year with a stellar overtime upset against Bay Area rival California.