Senior defender Lilly Reale smiles as she high-fives a teammate. Reale earned first-team All-America honors last season and has scored one goal this season. (Tszshan Huang/Daily Bruin)
The NCAA tournament offers one of the most electrifying stages for collegiate athletes, some of whom get to play at home.
This year’s Bruins will get both luxuries simultaneously.
No. 2 seed UCLA women’s soccer (16-3-3, 8-1-2 Big Ten) is preparing to host Cal Baptist (10-6-3, 3-3-1 Western Athletic Conference) at Wallis Annenberg Stadium for the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday afternoon.
“This is the best part of the year,” said coach Margueritte Aozasa. “There’s only 64 teams in the country that get to do it – or even less that get to do it at home.”
Since 2021, the Bruins have played the first round of the NCAA tournament on their home field, but they have advanced beyond the first round just once in that time in 2022 – which wound up being a championship-winning season.
Both NCAA home defeats in 2021 and 2023 came at the hands of UC Irvine. Despite this record, playing at home remains an invaluable advantage for the Bruins.
“I like to say that we have some of the best fans, so I think it’s definitely super fun anytime we can play at home,” said senior defender Lilly Reale. “Going into the tournament, any advantages we can get is awesome, but at the end of the day it’s about going out there and playing our style.”
Cal Baptist recently celebrated its first-ever WAC title after entering as the No. 4 seed and achieving 3-2 victories over both No. 2 seed Grand Canyon and No. 1 seed Utah Valley.
Leading the Lancers in scoring is forward Lauryn White, who has six goals to her name – a number unmatched by any Bruin this season. UCLA’s top scorers, juniors midfielder Sofia Cook and forward Bridgette Marin-Valencia, have recorded four goals apiece this season.
The then-No. 1 seed Bruins faced an upset in the first round of the 2023 national tournament, dropping a 1-0 decision to the Anteaters after the latter netted a goal in the 87th minute.
UCLA seems to have channeled a desire for redemption into its Big Ten conference run, as it shut Rutgers down 5-0 in Sunday’s finals.
“I thought we did a great job finishing,” Aozasa said. “Continuing to be good in defensive organization, and then the last piece was starting strong – but against both Washington and Rutgers, we scored a goal in the first 10 minutes. And when you’re able to do that, starting on the front foot changes the game.”
In last year’s duel, the Anteaters tallied five saves compared to just one from the Bruins. This year, graduate student goalkeeper Ryan Campbell, who currently leads the country with 16 shutouts, may offer reassurance for UCLA.
However, Campbell said the NCAA tournament presents a different style of play altogether.
“My goal going into the tournament was not to give any goals, and we didn’t,” Campbell said. “I have some incredible defenders. Hopefully more shutouts to come, but I think at the end of the day, when you go to the tournament time, the biggest thing is just win – whatever the score line.”
The national stage is familiar territory for veterans such as Reale and Campbell, whose experience competing for the NCAA title may make them key figureheads on the team – particularly for younger players competing in their first collegiate postseason.
“You have to settle different nerves, stay together as a team and trust what you’ve been working on all season,” Reale said. “Trust that it’s taken you far enough to continue on in these games that are must-win games.”
The senior class, many of whom will be playing in their final NCAA tournament, makes up a good portion of the Bruin roster, with nine seniors taking the field almost every single game. The cohort includes defender/forward Quincy McMahon and defender Jayden Perry, who have contributed three and two goals, respectively.
Among the graduating class are also graduate students forward Maya Evans and midfielder Sunshine Fontes, who both have overcome injuries and since been instrumental – with the former scoring a goal against Northwestern and the latter scoring against Oregon.
“This senior class has been so meaningful to this group and especially to our staff,” Aozasa said. “We always say, if at any time you’re tired or doubting this or that, don’t do it for yourself. Do it for the seniors.”

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