The 2010 men's soccer season was an exciting one for Big West fans as the seven clubs put forth outstanding performances from the first kick to the final whistle.
Big West Championship Recap
#2 seed UC Santa Barbara won its first Big West Tournament title over #3 seed Cal State Fullerton by a 3-1 score. The Gauchos were dominant in the match, outshooting the Titans by a 25-8 count, including a 15-4 edge in shots on goal. Danny Barrera and Luis Silva had first half goals three minutes apart to give UCSB a 2-0 edge, while Josue Madueno scored in the second half to push the advantage to 3-1. Big West Goalkeeper of the Year Sam Hayden recorded three saves in net for UCSB.
CSF got a first half goal from Jesse Escalante, who was assisted by Kevin Venegas, to trim the lead to 2-1 but could not find the equalizer. Kudos also were deserved by Trevor Whiddon who despite missing CSF’s semifinal win over top-seeded UC Irvine, made an incredible 12 saves. It marked the second time this season that Whiddon stopped 12 shots against the Gauchos.
Gauchos Dominate Major Honors
The Big West Conference’s yearly men’s soccer awards were announced and UC Santa Barbara was honored with at least a portion of all six major awards and had nine players named to all-conference teams.
Junior Danny Barrera was named the Big West Midfielder of the Year for the second consecutive season and senior Sam Hayden was also a repeat honoree, earning his second straight Big West Goalkeeper of the Year honor.
Senior Michael Boxall was selected as the conference's Defensive Player of the Year while sophomore Sam Garza shared Offensive Player of the Year honors with UC Irvine's Amani Walker. Additionally, David Opoku was named the Big West Freshman of the Year.
Head coach Tim Vom Steeg rounded out the major awards, earning Big West Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. Vom Steeg also became the first coach in Big West history to win 150 matches with UCSB's first round NCAA win.
UCI's Banner Season
UC Irvine may not have garnered an invite to the NCAA Tournament, but the Anteaters had an impressive season nontheless. The club won its second Big West regular season title in three years after going 14-3-3 overall and 7-1-2 against conference foes. The ‘Eaters also had an 11-match unbeaten string from September 24 to October 30 and were ranked in the top 10 in the polls for nine straight weeks.
Hope You Caught Them While They Were Here...
Three of the Big West's most prolific offensive players saw their collegiate careers come to an end this season in Cal Poly’s David Zamora and the UC Irvine duo of Spencer Thompson and Amani Walker.
Zamora ended his career as the Mustangs' all-time leading scorer with 64 points, while also tying atop the program career goals (25) and assist (12) ledgers.
Thompson and Walker were not only among the best UCI players of all-time, but also cemented themselves in Big West lore. Walker’s 27 career goals puts him 10th on the all-time league list, while Thompson was right behind him with 25 scores. Their consistency was remarkable throughout their careers as Thompson finished with 67 career points in 78 matches, while Walker registered 65 points in 85 showings.
Silent Assassin
When opposing defenses aren't careful against Cal State Fullerton, their top striker Nick Posthuma can wheel and put one in the back of the net. Posthuma is not one to just turn and fire wrecklessly as he posted just 32 shots in 19 matches, but he did record have nine goals off those 32 fires. Of the players in the league that have scored at least six goals, Posthuma is one of two who has not put up at least 40 shots (David Opoku, UCSB - 31 shots, 6 g).
I AM SAM...Unlike Any Other
UC Santa Barbara’s Sam Hayden made his two-year career one to remember as he finished with his name on several Big West goalkeeping lists. In the single-season category, Hayden’s 16 shutouts in 2009 were the most in league history, while his 0.74 goals against average showings in 2009 and ‘10 were eighth and ninth-best, respectively.
When looking at the career ledgers, Hayden finished his distinguished two-year run tied for fourth in shutouts (25) and tied for seventh in wins (28), but his most impressive feat was goals against average. Hayden finished with the lowest career goals against average in league history at 0.74, breaking the previous record of former Big West member Fresno State’s Mark Dougherty. That record stood since Dougherty wrapped up his four-year career in 1989.
Fontein Just Misses on All-Time Mark
UC Irvine goalkeeper Andrew Fontein was quietly in pursuit of one of the most storied records in the history of the league. Fontein finished the season with an 0.59 goals against average, which places him fourth on the single-season Big West list. The record is held by Harry Field of former member UNLV who posted an incredible GAA of 0.45 way back in 1984. In fact, only three players in Big West history have posted a GAA lower than 0.55 for the season, the most recent of which is Dan Kennedy in 2004 (0.55).
The Ups And Downs Of Youth
It was a rough season for a traditionally strong Cal State Northridge team as Terry Davila’s young squad struggled to a 3-14-2 record, the first sub-.500 season for the squad as a member of the Big West. There were tangible signs of progress throughout the season though. The Matadors tied a traditionally strong Washington club, beat eventual Big West regular season champion UC Irvine on the road, topped Big West tournament participant Cal State Fullerton on the road and dominated a nationally-ranked UCLA side at home before succumming to a 2-1 defeat. With a roster loaded with youth, expect the club to be battling for a playoff berth in the near future.
Just Missed Out But Impressive Nonetheless
UC Riverside just missed out on a chance at the Big West Tournament, but the Highlanders should be proud of the turnaround the club went through in 2010. After winning just one match a year ago, and none in conference play, UCR won six matches overall with three of those coming in Big West play. The Highlanders' season could've been even better as the club played in 13 matches decided by one goal, going 5-8 in those contests.
The teams' improvement can be traced to a better offensive and defensive output, especially in goal. After scoring just 12 goals in 18 matches a year ago, UC Riverside showed more bite with 23 goals in 18 matches this year. Also the club gave up 29 scores on 279 shots in 2010 after allowing 38 goals on 292 shots a year ago.