UCSB Soccer will open NCAA Tournament at home vs Cal

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -

For the 13th time in program history, the UC Santa Barbara men's soccer team is headed to the NCAA men's soccer tournament.

The Gauchos (12-4-4) will face Cal (8-6-3) in the opening round of the tournament on Thursday evening at Harder Stadium, in a rematch of the two teams' Sept. 7 regular season game.

The winner of the first-round game will advance to the second round to play at 12th-seeded St. Mary's (16-1-0) in Moraga, Calif. on Sunday.
Cal defeated Santa Barbara 3-0 in the third game of the regular season for both teams on Sept. 7.

The Gauchos and Golden Bears have faced each other in the NCAA Tournament on four separate occasions, most recently in 2010.

UCSB's lone win against Cal in the 48-team competition came in 2003 in a 2-0 defeat of the Golden Bears in the second round at Harder Stadium.
The Gauchos have never been on the road for their first game of the NCAA Tournament in its 12 previous appearances.

The game is scheduled to kick-off at 7 p.m.

Story courtesy of UCSB Athletics.