UC Santa Barbara's soujourn to the College Cup will have a familiar foe this weekend as the Gauchos travel to Westwood, Calif., to take on the #6 national seed UCLA Bruins. UCSB and UCLA squared off in the national championship match in 2006 and played to a tie in a game a year ago in Westwood. The winner of the Sweet 16 match will play either Duke or #3 national seed Wake Forest at a site to be determined the following weekend.
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 fourth team in the Big West to make back-to-back postseason appearances since the league reinstated men's soccer in 2001.
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 0.67 goals against average and 16 shutouts. The defense has been so good that the team has shut out 13 of its last 15 opponents and allowed two or more goals in just four of its 23 matches.
Gauchos Move into Round of 16
UC Santa Barbara moved into familiar territory as the club advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time since 2002. This season’s tourney run has been speared by the defense as the Gauchos have shut out both Wofford and San Diego and allowed just 10 shots total in the two matches. UCSB's Sweet 16 opponent is a old foe from the Pac-10 in UCLA. The Gaucho/Bruin encounter is a rematch of the 2006 national championship game which saw UC Santa Barbara top UCLA, 2-1, for its first title. The win was only the third victory by the Gauchos over the Bruins in 34 matches between the two clubs. The two teams also met a year ago in Drake Stadium in Westwood, finishing in a 2-2 tie.
#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.
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.
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 Establishes Shutout Mark
UC Santa Barbara goalkeeper Sam Hayden continued his stellar 2009 season between the pipes with his 16th shutout in UCSB's NCAA Tournament first round win over Wofford. His 15 clean slates establish both program and Big West single season bests. Also, the 16 shutouts as a team surpasses 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 at least 15 matches. The only other season was back in 1985 when two former members, Fresno State and UNLV, each won 15 or more 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.