UCLA Falls Off NCAA Throne : Soccer: Santa Clara beats defending champions, 2-1, in West regional finals.

Santa Clara bounced defending champion UCLA out of the NCAA playoffs Sunday with a 2-1 victory, and afterward the Broncos were presented the obvious question: “Do you feel vindicated?”

Surprisingly, the answer was “not really.”

This, after Santa Clara, which was ranked No. 1 in the Far West until the last week of the regular season, was passed over by the NCAA selection committee, which awarded UCLA the top seeding in the West regional and the first-round bye and home-field advantage that went with it.

“I have to admit I was shocked after the announcement,” Santa Clara Coach Mitch Murray said after the Broncos won the regional title before 2,254. “But we didn’t come here to prove anything. Going for revenge is not a healthy way to try to win.”

Defender Cameron Rast, whose aggressive play helped frustrate the Bruins’ offense, said his team was more intent on proving it should never have been dropped in the national rankings from No. 2 earlier in the season--after a loss to San Francisco and tie with Stanford--to No. 6.

“That was our motivator,” he said. “Besides, it was not a negative not playing at home, because we left our field in pretty bad shape.”

The Broncos left UCLA’s field in great shape, having advanced to the final four semifinals December 6 at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Santa Clara (19-1-1) will meet Indiana, which defeated Southern Methodist Sunday after two overtimes, 5-4, on penalty kicks.

The Bruins (18-4) saw their 10-game winning streak come to an end, as well as their home streak of 48 consecutive victories. UCLA is 0-3-2 in its last five meetings against Santa Clara.

Sunday’s game figured to be close from the outset, because neither team appeared to be able to mount any serious pressure on either goalkeeper.

While the taller Santa Clara squad was having trouble keeping the ball out of its zone, it had little trouble keeping the Bruins from any legitimate scoring chances.

Santa Clara outshot UCLA, 4-3, in the first half and would outshoot the Bruins, 8-6, in the game.

The Broncos scored first, four minutes into the second half, when freshman midfielder Patrick Griffin caught Brad Friedel out of position and put the ball into the left side of the net.

The Bruins countered five minutes later when forward Zak Ibsen took a centering pass from Cobi Jones and headed the ball past goalie Kevin Rueda.

But less than two minutes later Peter Cochran scored the game-winner on a hard shot from about 30 feet out. Friedel got a hand on the ball but could not hold on.

The Bruins cleared the ball but not before it was ruled to have crossed the goal line.

UCLA Coach Sigi Schmid said he thought a foul should have been called before the goal.

Friedel said his teammates had several chances to clear the ball and didn’t, but that he would stake his life on ball not having rolled over the line.

“The guy who scored the goal even told me afterward that the ball never went in,” Friedel said.

Cochran said he never discussed the goal when he talked with Friedel after the game. “It was after the fact,” he said. “Personally, I think it was in.”