UCLA Women's Soccer Earns No. 1 Seed in NCAA Tournament

The Bruins will play their first few postseason games in Westwood, as long as they can avoid getting upset in the first round like they were in 2021.

A late slip-up didn't cost the Bruins much on the national stage.

UCLA women's soccer (17-2-0, 9-2-0 Pac-12) has earned one of the four No. 1 seeds in the upcoming NCAA tournament, as was revealed on Monday's selection show. UCLA will host Northern Arizona (10-5-6, 7-1 Big Sky) in the first round at Wallis Annenberg Stadium, and they will have homefield advantage until the College Cup starts in Cary, North Carolina, on Dec. 2.

The Bruins were No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll in each of the last nine weeks, but they lost to crosstown rival USC in the regular season finale. As a result, UCLA did not earn one of the 31 automatic bids that went to conference champions, instead having to settle for one of the 33 at-large spots.

Stanford, who won the Pac-12 in the Bruins' place, earned a No. 3 seed Monday. USC earned a No. 4 seed, while fourth-place Cal and fifth-place Arizona State earned at-large bids as well.

The other notable teams in UCLA's quadrant are No. 2 Penn State, No. 3 Virginia, No. 4 seed Northwestern, No. 5 seed Clemson and No. 8 seed North Carolina State. The Bruins would play the Wolfpack in the second round, should both favorites win their respective opening matchups.

UCLA has five wins against teams in the field, including victories over No. 2 seed Duke, No. 2 seed North Carolina and No. 8 seed Santa Clara.

The Bruins' impressive resume comes in coach Margueritte Aozasa's first season at the helm, and less than one year removed from the program's first-round loss to UC Irvine in 2021, despite entering that matchup as a No. 2 seed.

UCLA has made 25 of the last 26 NCAA tournaments, winning the national championship in 2013 and making it back to the College Cup in 2017 and 2019.

Northern Arizona won both of its games in the Big Sky Tournament in penalty kicks, and clinched its first NCAA tournament bid since 2014 in the process.

The Bruins and Lumberjacks will kick off their first round matchup on Friday at 6 p.m.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF UCLA ATHLETICS