This week's slate of Big West men's soccer games features a televised contest as Big East side Rutgers takes on #6 UC Santa Barbara in a prime time tilt televised on Fox Soccer Channel. That won't be the only big contest on the league's upcoming slate as UC Davis heads to UCLA for the first time as a DI member Thursday, #8 UC Irvine heads to Milwaukee, Wis., for the Marquette Invitational over the weekend and Cal Poly's tough early season schedule continues with road bouts against Stanford and California during the upcoming weekend. Also Cal State Northridge hosts a tournament in the Valley in the Big West Challenge Cup. Conference member Cal State Fullerton will participate but will not play the Matadors during the tournament.

Head Coach Tim Vom Steeg - UCSB
Now in the 11th year at the helm of his alma mater, UC Santa Barbara head coach Tim Vom Steeg is on the verge of a major Big West milestone. With just five more victories, Vom Steeg will be 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, coming into 2009 with 59 wins against Big West foes.

UCSB's Big Start
UC Santa Barbara’s 3-0-0 start is the second consecutive season that the Gauchos have started the year with three straight wins, but this start stands out even for UCSB. The's clubs' back-to-back wins over West Virginia and Pittsburgh marked the first time since 2004 that UCSB has won back-to-back matches against BCS level opposition. That year, UC Santa Barbara downed Big East foes Seton Hall and Connecticut, then downed Big Ten side Indiana for a third straight win. The Gauchos have a chance to equal that distinction this season as their next game is against Big East club Rutgers.

Back on the Airwaves
Speaking of that Rutgers/UC Santa Barbara match, the game will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel from Meredith Field at Harder Stadium this Friday at 8 p.m. (PDT). The two teams clashed a year ago on the pitch at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J., with the Scarlet Knights claiming a thrilling 3-2 victory over the Gauchos.

CP's Tough Start
The soccer gods have not been kind to Cal Poly over its first two games as the club has allowed only two goals in nearly 200 minutes, but have no wins to show for it. The competition surely has been stiff in UNLV and consensus top-10 club Creighton, but the Mustangs have yet to hit the back of the net in 2009 and lost the two matches in heartbreaking fashion by giving up game-winners in the 109th and 81st minutes, respectively.

Big Crowds on Hand
Several league clubs played in front of large contingents both at home and on the road over the first week of the season. On opening day, Cal State Northridge played in front of 1,077 in its road match against San Diego, UC Santa Barbara had 2,267 in its home match against Cal State Bakersfield and Cal Poly had 1,032 in its home opener against UNLV. The crowds continued during the weekend as UCSB played in front of 2,938 in its road match against West Virginia and CP witnessed a crowd of 3,068 in its road match against Creighton.

CSF Picks up Impressive Road Win in Rare Road Opener
For only the third time since 1991, the Cal State Fullerton men's soccer team opened up the season on the road as the Titans competed in the Bert and Iris Wolstein Classic hosted by Ohio State. Not only did CSF win a season opener for the third time in as many tries under Bob Ammann, it defeated a BCS conference opponent on the road for the first time since 2001. That year, Cal State Fullerton downed California in double overtime, 1-0.

UCI Used to Hot Starts
Its no surprise that UC Irvine has opened up the 2009 season 2-0-0 as the Anteaters have been the Big West's best team in the months of August and September over the last three seasons. Coming into 2009, UCI is 20-2-5 in matches played in those two months, besting even perennial league power UC Santa Barbara which has a 15-9-2 mark in that same span.

Nonni Says Hello to College Soccer
Hyped recruits enrolling at UC Santa Barbara is nothing new but the start of Gaucho Michael Nonni’s career turned more than a few heads. Nonni scored twice and added an assist in his first collegiate match, then added two more helpers in UCSB’s 2-0-0 showing at the West Virginia/Nike Classic. That was on the heels of Nonni scoring twice in an exhibition match against Westmont just three days before the season kicked off.

Big West Live to Twitter
The Big West Conference is excited to bring Big West Live to Twitter, a Twitter feed designed to give fans an in-the-stands view of select Big West Events.  Bringing near-instantaneous photos, commentary, and updates, Big West Live is the first feed of its kind.  Moving beyond the scores and stats, Big West Live delivers the “color” of Big West events.