On Thursday afternoon underneath heavy rainfall, UCLA suffered a heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to GCU in the NCAA tournament, marking the final game of the season for the Bruins. UCLA entered the game having won five of their last six games, beating Michigan 5-0 last Sunday to win the Big Ten tournament.
The entire game, including the two rounds of overtime, can only be described in one word: a stalemate. For the entirety of the 110-minute game, both teams were evenly matched and neither could find their way to the back of the net.
In the first half, UCLA’s offense was as aggressive as ever, keeping consistent pressure on GCU’s defense while racking up seven shots on goal, while holding GCU to only two. The Bruins had several chances to score, but could not capitalize on those opportunities. One such opportunity came near the end of the first period, where forward Francis Bonsu was able to get a good lock on goal, only for it to be saved by GCU goalkeeper Daniel Ibarra. Despite these missed opportunities, the Bruins were able to partially compensate for this by playing lock down defense and keeping GCU out of their half.
Throughout the second half, the Bruins lost much of the momentum they had in the first period, as GCU’s offense became more aggressive matching the Bruins in shots on goal with six. On top of that, there were various close calls for the Bruins, as GCU came close to scoring at the 66 minute mark and 78 minute mark, attempting shots on goal both times.
Despite a hard fought battle from UCLA in regular time and OT, it was not enough to stop GCU when it came time for penalty shootouts.
UCLA fans in the stands began to chant “Ole, ole ole ole, UCLA!” in hopes of encouraging the Bruins to make their penalty kicks. Although UCLA’s Konstantinos Georgallides made the first penalty kick, it would be the Bruins’ only successful one. GCU, on the other hand, made all three of their attempts, securing their victory against UCLA.
Despite the season-ending loss, the Bruins will look to improve their team and turn the page to next season, as they kick things off in August of 2026.
GCU will advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament as they take on the University of San Diego on Sunday, Nov. 23.
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Featured Image Photographed by Catherine Rodriguez/BruinLife
