Changed Bruins Reach Semifinals

Much has changed in the year since the UCLA men’s soccer team last went to Dallas for the NCAA final four.

There is a new coach. There is a new attitude. And now there’s a chance to win another national championship.

The Bruins will attempt just that when they play Maryland in the NCAA College Cup today at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University. Creighton (18-3-2) plays Stanford (17-4-2) in the other semifinal; the winners meet Sunday.

It is UCLA’s 11th appearance in the national semifinals and first in three years. But it is the first under Tom Fitzgerald, a former Major League Soccer coach hired in March to succeed Todd Saldana.

The Bruins (16-3-3) put themselves in position for their fourth national title by avoiding the pitfalls that have plagued the talented squads of the last two seasons. In 2000, UCLA was 8-0 and ranked No. 1 before losing seven of its final 11. Last year, it started 6-6-2 before salvaging its season with a 6-1-2 finish and a long run in the playoffs.

This season, the Bruins have followed their three losses with victories and haven’t lost in more than a month. The consistency resulted in a high national ranking throughout the season and a No. 3 seeding in the NCAA tournament, which allowed them to stay at home until this point.

“We had a couple of bad games, which we lost, but we recovered from them,” Fitzgerald said. “I never want them to think about those losses. To me, they were in the past.”

Senior forward Tim Pierce said Fitzgerald’s easygoing demeanor has complemented an experienced squad that went through the disappointments of the last two years. UCLA lost to Southern Methodist in the quarterfinals last season and was bounced out of the playoffs in the first round two years ago.

“He’s made a lot of difference,” Pierce said. “He gives us a lot of direction and he makes it clear what your role is here. He makes everyone as happy as they can be.” UCLA has been on a scoring tear in the playoffs.

In victories over Loyola Marymount, California and Penn State, the Bruins have scored 14 goals, the most of any of the four teams remaining.

They have 17 goals in their last four matches.

They’ll play a Maryland team that became a national power under Sasho Cirovski. Cirovski, a former assistant under onetime U.S. national team coach Bob Gansler at Wisconsin Milwaukee, has led the Terrapins (20-4-0) to a No. 1 ranking at the end of the regular season and their first final four appearance since 1998.

Hermann Trophy finalist Sumed Ibrahim has seven goals and six assists.

Abe Thompson (14 goals, eight assists) and Domenic Mediate (13 goals, five assists) are the leading scorers.

Maryland hasn’t given up a goal in the tournament and has a shutout streak spanning 372 minutes.