The Bruins took down the undefeated Terrapins on Wednesday night to advance to the Big Ten Tournament finals.
The Terrapins, ranked No. 1 in the country by the NCAA Coaches Poll, had yet to lose in 2025. In fact, they had trailed for just 78 total seconds across their 15 matches. On Wednesday night in College Park, the Bruins handed them something they had not felt all season: defeat.
In the second Big Ten Tournament semifinal match, No. 4 seed UCLA (7-6-4, 5-3-2 Big Ten) defeated No.1 seed Maryland (12-1-3, 8-0-2 Big Ten) 2-0 at Ludwig Field. They continue their success against the Terrapins, adding to an undefeated streak that dates back to 2017.
In October, the two juggernauts of the sport faced off in Westwood, a match ending in a 0-0 draw. For the majority of the semifinal, it seemed that history was destined to repeat itself.
Both teams struggled to find scoring chances early on, with just one combined shot on goal in the first half. Maryland outshot UCLA 7-2 in the period, but posed no real danger to UCLA’s goalkeeper Kevin Box.
The first real threat came around ten minutes into the second half. Maryland’s Stephane Njike first took a powerful shot on goal, but was stopped by Box, then sent a follow-up wide of the net entirely. Just 40 seconds later, Luca Costabile threatened the net with a shot on goal, but Box once again shut down the chance.
Under five minutes later, it seemed that the Terrapins were beginning to crumble UCLA’s defense. Costabile dribbled the ball low into the box, but passed up a huge scoring opportunity in favor of a centering cross, which was cleared out of the zone.
Finally, with 16:37 remaining, Ander Marticorena opened the scoring. The freshman midfielder took a beautifully placed ball from Sergi Solans and placed it into the bottom left corner of the net, giving the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
Later on, with Maryland resorting to an all-out attack, the two Spaniards collaborated once again. With under seven minutes to play, Marticorena centered a deep cross from Shakir Nixon, finding Solans, who easily redirected the ball into the net to secure the victory.
The Terrapins have now been shut out twice this season, both times at the hands of the Bruins.
With the triumph, UCLA extends its winning streak to four games, outscoring its opponents 16-5 over the stretch. With the NCAA Tournament approaching, there’s no better time for a team to catch fire.
This win all but guarantees an at-large appearance in the tournament, but coach Ryan Jorden still has an opportunity to secure his squad a first-round bye. The Bruins will hope to accomplish this with a win over the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten Tournament Final on Sunday.
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Featured Image Photographed by Catherine Rodriguez/BruinLife
