No. 2 Seeded UCLA Will Open NCAA Tournament on Sunday

The four-time National Champion UCLA Bruins men’s soccer team earned the number two overall seed in the 2014 NCAA Men’s College Cup, as announced by the Division I Men’s Soccer committee. The Bruins (11-4-4) have a first round bye and will host the winner of San Diego (10-5-4) and Cal State Fullerton (10-7-6) in the second round on Sunday, November 23rd at 7:00pm PT.

Joining Cal State Fullerton, San Diego and No. 2 UCLA in their quadrant of the 48-team tournament are No. 15 California, No. 10 Charlotte, No. 7 Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Florida Gulf Coast, James Madison, North Carolina, Northwestern and Sothern Illinois – Edwardsville.

UCLA holds a 22-7-4 (3-4 in postseason play) all-time record against the San Diego Toreros and a 29-7-3 (1-1 in postseason play) all-time record against the Cal State Fullerton Titans.

“We are pleased with the draw and excited to be a top-four seed for the second consecutive year,” said UCLA Head Coach Jorge Salcedo. “Every game in the NCAA Tournament presents its challenges and we are going to be prepared for whomever we face. Our guys are eager for our first match on Sunday night.”

UCLA is one of a Pac-12-record five teams to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament, the third most of any conference in the nation. The Bruins will be joined by No. 6 Stanford, No. 14 Washington, No. 15 California and Oregon State out of the conference.

The Bruins will be making their 32nd straight appearance (42nd overall) in the NCAA Tournament and will enter postseason play with the nation’s highest RPI. UCLA holds a 68-38 all-time record in 106 NCAA Tournament games.

UCLA will be led by seniors Leo Stolz and Earl Edwards Jr., among others. Stolz, a midfielder, is the Bruins leading point scorer with seven goals and four assists. The Munich, Germany native was the Pac-12 Player of the Year last year and has started every game for UCLA this season. Edwards Jr., a goalkeeper, boasts the conference’s lowest goals against average at 0.74 per game. The San Diego native has also started every game for the Bruins, totaling seven shutouts.

Tickets for Sunday’s second round match are $10 for adults and $8 for youth/students (w/valid ID) and can be purchased in advance at the UCLA Central Ticket Office (310-UCLA-WIN) or online here.