Fourth-ranked USC and No. 9 UCLA are set to kick off the NCAA women’s soccer tournament at home this weekend. USC will face Sacramento State on Sunday at Dignity Health Sports Park, while UCLA will host Cal Baptist on Friday.
Both USC and UCLA had successful seasons in the Big Ten, with USC winning the regular-season conference title and UCLA claiming the postseason conference tournament by defeating Rutgers. USC, with a record of 15-1-3, is the top seed in its NCAA bracket, while UCLA (16-3-3) is a No. 2 seed in its regional, behind Duke.
Pepperdine, ranked No. 22 with a record of 12-3-5, will also be competing in the tournament and will host Cal (12-5-2) in Malibu on Saturday. UC Santa Barbara (8-5-9) will be hitting the road on Friday to face No. 14 Stanford (13-4-1).
In the NCAA Division III women’s soccer tournament, defending champion Cal Lutheran (12-3-4) will take on Trinity, Texas (16-1-2), while Pomona-Pitzer (15-2-2) will meet UC Santa Cruz (10-2-5). SCIAC winner Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (13-3-3) will be traveling to Cambridge, Mass., to play against Colby (11-4-3).
For the Division III men’s tournament, conference champion Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (13-3-3) will face Oglethorpe (9-2-6) in Colorado Springs, Colo. It’s an exciting time for college soccer with so many talented teams competing for the championship.
Kevin Baxter, a seasoned journalist covering soccer and hockey for the Los Angeles Times, has provided valuable insights into the upcoming NCAA soccer tournaments. His extensive experience in sports journalism, including covering prestigious events like the World Cup and the Olympics, adds credibility to his analysis. Baxter’s passion for sports shines through in his writing, making him a trusted source for sports fans.
