Two Big West teams, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara, were selected for the 2009 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament, the third consecutive season the league has grabbed multiple bids to the 48-team field.
UCI, the league tournament champion, was awarded the #16 seed in the field and will play Sunday against the winner of the Saint Mary's (Calif.) and Stanford match scheduled for Thursday. The Anteaters have played a match earlier this season against the Gaels, losing 2-1 in double overtime at home, while not playing a match against a Pac-10 foe this season.
UC Santa Barbara claimed its eight straight trip to the NCAA Championship, which includes a national championship in 2006. The Gauchos host Wofford from the Southern Conference Thursday with the winner going to #11 San Diego. UCSB has not played a SoCon opponent this season.
The schedule for the NCAA Tournament has the first round set for Thursday, November 19 and the second round Sunday, November 22. The third round kicks off on Sunday, November 29 with the quarterfinals scheduled for Friday-Sunday, December 4-6.
The College Cup is taking place in Cary, N.C., this season with the national semifinal set for Friday, December 11 and national championship match scheduled for Sunday, December 13.
NOTEWORTHY
UCI Postseason Tidbits
UC Irvine has short postseason history as the club is making its second postseason appearance in school history. The first came a year ago after the Anteaters won the Big West Tournament match. The team won its first postseason match a year ago against conference rival Cal Poly, then fell in a hotly contested match to eventual College Cup Participant St. John’s (N.Y.) in Queens, N.Y. With its NCAA appearance this season, UC Irvine becomes the third team in the Big West to make back-to-back postseason appearances since the league reinstated men’s soccer in 2001. The Anteaters are an explosive offensive club as they boast four players with 18 or more points, two of which have surpassed the 20-point barrier, while defensively the team has given up just 23 goals for a 1.05 goals against average.
UCSB Postseason Tidbits
UC Santa Barbara is no stranger to the postseason as the club is making its eighth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, has made two trips to the College Cup finals (2004, ‘06) and won the 2006 national championship. A year ago, UCSB earned its second consecutive national seed and first round bye with the #15 slot, but fell in double-overtime in the second round to California by a 3-2 final. The Gauchos return to the postseason a different club from a year ago as their traditional offensive prowess has been backed up by a superb defense. After allowing 39 goals a year ago, the UCSB defense has been among the best the country with 16 goals allowed, an 0.74 goals against average and 14 shutouts. The defense has been so good that the team has shut out 11 of its last 13 opponents and allowed two or more goals in just four of its 21 matches.
UCI's Aguilar Claims Tournament MVP
UC Irvine’s Carlos Aguilar claimed the 2009 Big West Tournament Most Valuable Player award after having a hand in four of UCI's six goals in the tourney. In the semifinal against Cal Poly, Aguilar scored twice, including converting the game-winner on a penalty kick in double overtime. In the final against UC Santa Barbara, Aguilar scored on another penalty kick and assisted on the first goal of the match. He also was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week for his efforts in the Big West Tournament.
#3 UCI vs. #1 UCSB Championship Recap
The rematch of the inaugural final from 2008 had nearly the same outcome as third-seeded UC Irvine posted a 4-1 victory over #1 UC Santa Barbara. The Anteaters had topped the Gauchos in last year’s final by a 4-2 count at Anteater Stadium. This time around, UCI controlled the tempo from the get-go and picked up a pair of goals in the first 30 minutes of the match. In all, four different 'Eaters accounted for the goals, while Andrew Fontein was stellar in net with six saves. The physical match saw UCSB play a man down after a foul in the 37th minute, then play two men down after a foul in the 87th minute.
#4 CSUN vs. #1 UCSB Semifinal Recap
It took a lot of defense and ironically enough a defender to give top-seeded UC Santa Barbara a berth in the Big West Championship match. The Gauchos used a goal by defensive standout Michael Boxall in the 72nd minute to claim a 1-0 victory over #4 Cal State Northridge in a league tournament semifinal. It was Boxall's first goal of his UCSB career. The Matadors outshot the Gauchos 13-12 and got seven saves from Michael Alabos, but could not find the answer to get back UCSB keeper Sam Hayden. CSUN wraps up its season with a 10-8-2 mark, while UCSB improves to 15-3-2.
#3 UCI vs. #2 CP Semifinal Recap
Third-seeded UC Irvine and #2 Cal Poly battled in a double overtime thriller, but in the end it was the Anteaters who claimed a spot in the Big West final thanks to a 2-1 victory. UCI controlled the run of play with a 21-6 shot advantage and a 10-3 edge in corners, but Cal Poly's Patrick McLain was stellar in net with a career-best eight saves. The Mustangs’ David Zamora scored a world class goal in the 30th minute as he wrapped the ball around an ‘Eater wall and into the left corner on a free kick, but UCI's Carlos Aguilar scored twice, including converting the game-winning penalty kick in the 103rd minute, to send the club to the championship match. Despite the loss, Cal Poly tied its best finish in the Big West (second) and tied its top victory total in league matches (six).
UCSB Wins Big West Regular Season Crown
UC Santa Barbara continued to be the flagship team of the Big West as the Gauchos won the regular season title for the sixth time since the league reinstated men's soccer in 2001. In all, UCSB's six regular season championships is the most in Big West history, surpassing former member Fresno State's total of five regular season crowns. In addition, the Gauchos’ eight conference wins tied for the third-most victories in a 10-game conference season in Big West history, while their .850 winning percentage in conference matches is also tied for the third-best in Big West lore.
Hayden Close to Shutout Mark
UC Santa Barbara goalkeeper Sam Hayden continued his stellar 2009 season between the pipes with his 14th shutouts in UCSB's Big West Tournament semifinal win over Cal State Northridge. His 14 clean slates establishes a UCSB single season record and ties the Big West single season mark. Also, the 14 shutouts as a team is just one off the 2004 Gaucho squad for the most in a single season in conference history.
15 is a Nice Number
Winning 15 matches is a great season for a club, but to have two teams in 15 games is something that is rare in Big West history. This season marked only the second time in league history that two clubs, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara, won 15 matches. The only other season was back in 1985 when two former members, Fresno State and UNLV, each won 15 matches.
Vom Steeg Stands Alone in Big West Lore
Now in the 11th year at the helm of his alma mater, UC Santa Barbara head coach Tim Vom Steeg has achieved a major Big West milestone this season. Thanks to the Gauchos’ 1-0 win over Cal Poly on October 7, Vom Steeg is now the all-time winningest coach in Big West lore, passing former Fresno State manager Jose Elgorriaga’s total of 126 wins. Vom Steeg is already the career leader in league-only triumphs, posting his 60th career win against Big West foes with the Gauchos’ victory against UC Irvine on September 27. He is the lone coach in Big West history to post 60+ wins in conference play and 120+ overall wins during league membership.