UCLA Captures First Big Ten Tournament Title With Dominant 5–0 Win Over Michigan
- Jonathan Turner
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The fourth-seeded UCLA Bruins made history Sunday afternoon, claiming their first-ever Big Ten Men’s Soccer Tournament championship with a commanding 5–0 victory over No. 3 seed Michigan at Ludwig Field. With the win, UCLA secures the conference’s automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship.
The star of the afternoon—and the entire tournament—was redshirt sophomore Sergi Solans Ormo, who delivered a sensational hat trick, his third of the season, and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Solans Ormo finished tournament play with 10 points on four goals and two assists, setting a UCLA single-season record with three hat tricks and becoming the first player in Big Ten Tournament history to register a hat trick in the championship match.
Bruins Strike Early and Never Look Back
UCLA opened the scoring in the 13th minute through Konstantinos Georgallides, who crashed the box and buried a rebound after Solans Ormo’s initial effort rattled off the bar. The goal—Georgallides’ fourth of the year—set the tone for what would become a dominant performance.
Moments before halftime, the Bruins doubled their lead. Shakir Nixon sliced through the right flank and delivered a pinpoint cross that Solans Ormo headed home for his 14th goal of the season.
UCLA wasted no time adding to its advantage in the second half. In the 52nd minute, a quick combination sparked by Nixon and Georgallides opened space for Philip Naef, who linked back with Georgallides. The midfielder slid a perfect ball into the path of Solans Ormo, who finished calmly to make it 3–0.
Eight minutes later, Solans Ormo completed his historic hat trick, punishing an errant Michigan clearance by lofting a composed chip into the open net.
Just over a minute after that, Georgallides capped off his brace, firing a low shot into the corner to seal the emphatic 5–0 result.
UCLA’s Defensive Unit Stands Tall
Bruins goalkeeper Kevin Box recorded his fifth clean sheet of the season, needing only one save as UCLA’s back line suffocated Michigan’s attack from start to finish.
With the victory, UCLA improves to 8–6–4 and earns its first conference championship since 2023. The Bruins are now poised for their fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
The 48-team NCAA Tournament field will be announced Monday at 1 p.m. ET on NCAA.com.
2025 Big Ten Men’s Soccer All-Tournament Team
Tristen Rose, Maryland
Chris Steinleitner, Maryland
Nicholas Cassiday, Michigan
Matthew Fisher, Michigan
Mitar Mitrovich, Michigan
Konstantinos Georgallides, UCLA
Ander Marticorena, UCLA
Shakir Nixon, UCLA
Sergi Solans Ormo, UCLA
Joe Dale, Washington
Connor Lofy, Washington
Most Outstanding Player
Sergi Solans Ormo, UCLA
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