The announcement of USD’s spot in the NCAA men’s soccer tournament was greeted with cheers at a public viewing on campus Monday morning, and then a few raised eyebrows.
The Toreros are the No. 9 seed in the 48-team bracket and, as such, get a first-round bye before hosting Thursday’s UCLA-Grand Canyon winner on Sunday night at 5 p.m. Fair enough.
But should they win that and advance to the Sweet 16, they’re slated to travel to the No. 8 seed, which is Portland, which tied for second in the West Coast Conference while the Toreros won a record fourth consecutive league title with Saturday’s 4-2 victory at then-No. 10 Oregon State.
The Toreros (13-2-3) have the better RPI, the metric still used in men’s soccer, at No. 5 to No. 8. Same for strength of schedule, 16th vs. 50th. USD moved up to No. 3 in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings; Portland (13-1-3) is No. 10.
“I don’t know how the seeds work, but I mean, I was definitely a little shocked,” senior forward Cesar Bahena said. “I thought we’d be higher than them.”
The deciding factor, most likely, came down to head-to-head. Portland beat visiting USD 2-1 on Oct. 10 in a game in which the Toreros held a 15-8 advantage in shots and had the run of play in the second half. And one of the Pilots’ goals was scored with a man advantage, before the Toreros could get a sub for an injured player.
“I’m still happy we’re going to have a home game and we got the (first-round) bye,” USD coach Brian Quinn said. “And I don’t want to look past Grand Canyon or UCLA, because I think that would be disrespectful. It’s a difficult game no matter who wins.”
UCLA (8-6-4), which hosts Thursday night’s game against the WAC champions, could be particularly so. The Bruins were 3-6-4 a month ago before ripping off five straight wins by a combined 21-5 score, including 2-0 against top-seeded Maryland in the Big Ten semis and 5-0 against Michigan in the final.
“A real purple patch of form,” Quinn said. “They’re full of confidence.”
So are his Toreros, who won their last six after the Portland loss by a combined score of 13-2. Ten members of the roster have won four WCC titles and been to four NCAA Tournaments.
In 2022, they went on the road for the first round and lost. In 2023, they earned a home game in the first round and lost. Last year, they won in the first round at home, upset Duke on the road and fell in the Sweet 16 against eventual champion Vermont.
This year, a first-round bye and a home game against an opponent on short rest.
“We definitely have the team to do it,” Bahena said. “We have the team for sure. Definitely, that experience helps. We’ve been in these kinds of settings before. It kind of eases off the nerves a bit.”
Added Quinn: “There’s a character to this team. I told them this: For all the success we’ve had over the last four years, this is the most humble group I’ve been around.”
NCAA Tournament: UCLA/Grand Canyon winner at No. 9 USD
When: 5 p.m. Sunday
Where: Torero Stadium
Toreros earn first-round bye in NCAA Tournament, but path raises eyebrows
