For the second consecutive season and fifth time in seven seasons, the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos have claimed the Big West Championship. The win clinches an automatic berth into the 48-team NCAA Tournament as UCSB now looks to defend its national championship.
The Gauchos clinched the title on the strength of a come-from-behind, 3-2 road win over rival Cal State Northridge. Chris Pontius came off the bench to deliver two goals, including the game-winning tally in the 69th minute, to lead UC Santa Barbara to the title. The fifth crown for the Gauchos is the second-best total in Big West history, trailing former member Fresno State’s six championships.
UCSB ends the regular season at 12-3-4 and 9-1-2 (29 points) in the Big West, unbeaten in its last seven outings (6-0-1) and has equaled its win total from its 2006 national championship campaign. The Gauchos have made a conference-record seven consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
Two other clubs ended the regular season with double-digit wins as #25 UC Davis and Cal Poly posted 12 and 11 victories respectively.
The Aggies, in their first year as a full fledged Division I member, went 7-3-2 (23 points) in conference play to finish in second place. The 12 victories marked the most for the program since back-to-back 13 win campaigns as a member of Division II in 2001 and 2002.
The Mustangs tied the program record for overall wins and set a new benchmark for conference wins on their way to a breakout season at 11-4-4 overall and 6-2-4 (22 points ) in conference play. Head coach Paul Holocher, in just his second season at the helm, has revitalized the Cal Poly program as the Mustangs finished with a winning record in Big West play for the first time as a member of the conference.
Cal State Northridge finished a trying season at 7-7-6 with a 3-5-4 (13 points) record in conference play. The Matadors were struck by tradegy in early October as junior midfielder Jay Singh unexpectedly passed away at his home in Northern California. Despite its rough season, CSUN had several high moments including a 3-0 win over UCLA and a 1-1 tie on the road against ACC power Maryland.
UC Riverside continued its rise with a solid yet bizarre regular season, finishing the 2007 campaign at 5-6-8 and 2-4-6 (12 points) againast Big West opposition. The Highlanders picked up a win over a ranked opponent for the first time with a 3-2 win over then #21 San Diego State September 3. The unusual part of UCR’s season was the conference record eight draws it participated in, six of which came in conference play.
Cal State Fullerton (7-10-3) and UC Irvine (6-9-5) wrapped up the 2007 Big West regular season at 2-7-3 (nine points) and 1-8-3 (six points) in conference play, respectively.