Big West champion UC Santa Barbara took home the lion's share of honors with the announcement of the 2004 Big West Men's Soccer All-Conference Team today. UC Santa Barbara's Drew McAthy and Cal State Northridge's Willie Sims earned Co-Offensive Player of the Year accolades while UC Irvine's Brad Evans collected Midfielder of the Year honors. Each of the remaining individual honors had a Gaucho representative as Tony Lochhead, Dan Kennedy, Andy Iro and Tim Vom Steeg were recognized as the Big West's top defender, goalkeeper, freshman and head coach, respectively.

McAthy, a senior from Huntington Beach, Calif., finished the regular season with 15 goals and five assists for a league-leading 35 points. The 15 goals ranked second among Big West leaders this season and fourth on the UCSB single-season chart. In addition, McAthy led the Big West with eight game-winning goals. The forward, a three-time All-Big West First Team selection, became the school's record holder this year with 50 career goals and 114 career points. Both of those totals place him third on the Big West career list. McAthy also earned Big West Player of the Week twice this season.

Sims, a sophomore from Los Angeles, Calif., became the first Matador to earn MVP honors twice. He also earned a share of the league's top offensive honor last season. The forward topped the Big West with 16 goals and his 34 points ranked him second. He also led the conference with 1.89 points per game. In recording the 16 goals, those were the most scored by a Matador since 1995 and placed Sims seventh on the school's single-season list. Sims had six game-winning goals and garnered Big West Player of the Week honors three times this season. On the Big West career charts, Sims is sixth with 27 goals and ninth with 64 points.

Evans was the inaugural winner of the Big West's top midfielder award. A sophomore from Phoenix, Ariz., Evans scored seven of UC Irvine's 21 goals and tied for the Big West lead with 72 shots. The seven goals was sixth-best in the Big West. He added three assists for a total of 17 points, which was seventh-highest in the conference.

Lochhead secured the Big West Defensive Player of the Year award after anchoring one of the nation's stingiest defenses. UC Santa Barbara currently ranks third in the nation with a 0.53 team goals against average and first with 13 shutouts. Of the 11 goals that the Gauchos allowed, four of them occurred when Lochhead was not on the field. A senior from Tauranga, New Zealand, Lochhead earned All-Big West First Team honors for the second time.

Kennedy wrapped up the Big West Goalkeeper of the Year award for the second consecutive time. The two-time UCSB captain led the Big West with a 0.54 goals against average and 11 shutouts, including overtime blankings of Indiana, UC Davis and UC Irvine. His GAA currently ranks fifth in the nation and third on the Big West single-season list while his shutout total ties the school's single-season mark. A senior from Yorba Linda, Calif., Kennedy has played a UCSB career record 7,167 minutes. His 0.88 career GAA is also the fourth-lowest in Big West annals.

Iro is the second UC Santa Barbara player to receive Big West Freshman of the Year acclaim. He helped form one of the most formidable backlines in the country, as the Gauchos limited their opponents to two shots on goal or less seven times, including twice holding them to zero. A native of Liverpool, England, Iro started all 17 matches he played in.

Vom Steeg earned Big West Coach of the Year distinction for the first time in his six-year tenure at UC Santa Barbara. He guided the Gauchos to their first-ever No. 1 national ranking, which they own in two polls heading into the NCAA Tournament. Vom Steeg's troops posted an outstanding 17-2-1 regular season record and captured their third Big West championship in four seasons with an 8-2-0 mark. Vom Steeg has led UCSB to four consecutive seasons with double-digit victories and seven or more conference wins in each of those years. His .715 career winning percentage makes him the ninth-winningest active head coach.

Cal State Northridge's Yossi Raz was recognized as a first team all-conference player for the fourth straight season. In addition to McAthy's three-time first team distinction, Lochhead, Kennedy, Sims and UC Riverside's Luc Harrington are also multiple first team honorees.

The complete All-Big West Men's Soccer Team can be viewed by clicking on above PDF link:

2004 ALL-BIG WEST MEN'S SOCCER TEAM

+Two-Time First Team Member
++Three-Time First Team Member
+++Four-Time First Team Member

2004 Big West Co-Offensive Players Of The Year
Drew McAthy, UC Santa Barbara &
Willie Sims, Cal State Northridge

2004 Big West Midfielder Of The Year
Brad Evans, UC Irvine

2004 Big West Defensive Player Of The Year
Tony Lochhead, UC Santa Barbara

2004 Big West Goalkeeper Of The Year
Dan Kennedy, UC Santa Barbara

2004 Big West Freshman Of The Year
Andy Iro, UC Santa Barbara

2004 Big West Coach Of The Year
Tim Vom Steeg, UC Santa Barbara