SAN DIEGO — After winning the West Coast Conference Championship, the Toreros are NCAA tournament bound for the first time since 2014.

“We want to keep going, for me the seasons just getting started,” said junior midfielder Ross Johnstone. “We’re in the history books. It’s amazing, it’s definitely a goal and we’ve surpassed a lot of people’s expectations.”

The Torero’s finished undefeated in West Coast Conference play for the second time in program history and the first time since 2000.

“It’s a great feeling what we’ve achieved,” said senior Midfielder Mason Tunbridge. “There was always a belief that we could do it, but to actually do it and have it in my hands now is a feeling that will take a while to get used to.” 

USD’s next opponent, the University of  Denver, and a Pioneers team riding a 6-match winning streak. 

“Denver is very challenging,” said USD head coach Brian Quinn. “They’re champions of the summit league and it’s not going to be easy at all.” 

The Toreros will head to Denver on Wednesday for their match on Thursday. If they win the match, they will head to Duke and a rematch against a Blue Devil team that handed USD their first loss of the season in their first match of the season. 

“We’re not going into games as underdogs,” continued Tunbridge. “We’re going into games as equal as everyone else and it’s 90 minutes, anything can happen.”