UCLA took a 1-0 lead in the first half when Kyle Nakazawa converted a penalty kick at 30:30 for his team-leading 12th goal of the year. The penalty kick was earned when David Estrada was taken down by a defender in the box.
After taking the lead, the Bruins dominated play the rest of the half and outshot Sacramento State 11-4, with a few near-misses by Nakazawa, Estrada, Michael Roman and Amobi Okugo.
Sacramento State put the pressure on in the second half. Fernando Cabadas missed wide by mere inches on a shot in the 63rd minute, and in the 71st minute he put a free kick on frame that Brian Perk had to make a diving save on. Hornet forward Max Alvarez got ahead on a breakaway on a counter-attack in the 75th minute but Perk once again came up big to make the save.
There was nothing Perk could do on Alvarez's next shot just 30 seconds later. Alvarez curled a long-distance shot into the upper left corner to tie the match at 1-1 with 15:38 left in the game.
The Bruins answered five minutes later after Michael Stephens sent a pass to Fernando Monge on the left side. Monge crossed to Hoffman right in front of the goal, and the freshman slipped in the shot to the left corner for the go-ahead goal at the 79:21 mark. The goal was Hoffman's fifth of the season.
The Hornets, which were making their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, end their season with a 12-6-3 record.
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