The Schedule
Thursday, August 26, 2021 at 7 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara vs San Diego
All-time record vs. the Toreros (W-L-T): 13-7-1
First Responders Night
Video | Live Stats
Sunday, August 29, 2021 at 7 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara vs Cal
All-time record vs. the Golden Bears (W-L-T): 12-19-3
Video | Live Stats
• Video Stream Available
Both games this weekend will be broadcast on UCSBGauchos.com's StretchLive portal. Gerry Fall and Ben Callon will have the call, with a postgame press conference to follow live after the game.
• Thursday is First Responders Night
Welcoming all frontline workers! Thank you for keeping our community safe. Join UCSB men's soccer as the team kicks off the season against San Diego at 7:00 p.m., with special recognition for frontline workers planned throughout the game. For more information, view the event flyer or contact Bianca Deardorff at bianca.deardorff@athletics.ucsb.edu.
• Kicking off the 2021 Season
Last taking the field in a countable contest on Dec. 7, 2019, the UC Santa Barbara men's soccer team is ready to make its return to the college soccer landscape at long last. Up first are a pair of west coast opponents that the Gauchos have long and storied rivalries with. Thursday night's contest pits UCSB against San Diego, with the most recent meeting between the Gauchos and Toreros being a 2-2 draw in the 2019 season in which senior attacker Ameyawu Muntari scored an incredible goal from distance. Both teams were inside the top 25 at the time, and now each program finds itself on the outside looking in to start the season, knowing that a positive result could go a long way towards getting recognition again. Sunday night's game between the Gauchos and Golden Bears is a rematch of UCSB's 3-1 victory in the 2019 NCAA Men's Soccer tournament first round matchup at Harder Stadium. The win over Cal was the program's first since 2003.
• The Gaucho Rewind – Santa Barbara Community Shield
The Gauchos earned their 30th victory over Westmont in the all-time series with a 3-0 win in the 58th edition of the Santa Barbara Community Shield exhibition match. Nemo Philipp set up Salvador Aguilar on the first goal of the night, Lucas Gonzalez scored on a free kick from 25 yards out, and Ameyawu Muntari played Finn Ballard McBride into space off a Westmont turnover to make it 3-0.
• Ballard McBride, Carson Vom Steeg Honored Among All-Big West Preseason Selections; Gauchos Share Top Spot in Coaches Poll
The UC Santa Barbara men's soccer team landed two players on the 2021 Big West Men's Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team and tied with UC Davis for first place in the league's preseason coaches poll.
Finn Ballard McBride – 2021 Men's Soccer Preseason All-Conference
Ballard McBride was UCSB's fourth-ever player to make it onto a freshman All-America list after Top Drawer Soccer listed him on its team at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season. The Big West Conference recognized the newcomer as its freshman of the year, UCSB's ninth in the past 11 seasons, joining a long list that began with Michael David in 2009 and included Rodney Michael in 2017 and Ben Roach in 2018. The Australian tied for the Big West lead in goals with nine, seeing just under half of his 20 shots reach the back of the net. He ranked second in the conference with 20 points at the end of the season after tacking on two assists to his goal tally. Six of his nine goals came against Big West opponents, two of which were game-winners, and he also scored against then-No. 1 Stanford on Sept. 28.
Carson Vom Steeg – 2021 Men's Soccer Preseason All-Conference
In his UCSB career, Vom Steeg has played in 13 games, starting 11 and scoring one goal. The Santa Barbara, Calif. native sat out the 2019-20 season due to injury. This season, he will make the change from defensive midfielder to centerback for the blue and gold. Prior to UCSB, he was a member of Stanford's 2017 NCAA College Cup-winning squad.
In the preseason coaches poll, UC Santa Barbara finished in a tie atop the table with defending Big West Tournament champions UC Davis. Both teams finished on 89 points with three first-place votes.
• Caden Vom Steeg Recognized in Best XI
Freshman defender Caden Vom Steeg was recognized by US Youth Soccer as a member of the Best XI in the 18-and-under boys age group at the 2021 US Youth Soccer National Championships in Bradenton-Sarasota, Fla. The San Marcos HS product played at the club level for Santa Barbara Soccer Club.
• The Vom Steeg Files
Tim Vom Steeg is in his 23rd season of an illustrious career at the helm of the UCSB men's soccer program. After never having qualified for the NCAA Tournament prior to 2001, Vom Steeg has turned the Gauchos into contenders anually, taking UCSB to the dance 12 times since his hiring. He led the program to its first College Cup in 2004 and its first National Championship in 2006. He is a two-time NSCAA National Coach of the Year ('04, '06), and is tied for the most Big West Coach of the Year awards in league history with five, including the 2015 honor. He is the winningest coach in UCSB and Big West men's soccer history. Vom Steeg became UCSB's winngest coach in 2005, earned his 200th overall win in 2013, and triumphed for the 100th time in Big West action during the 2015 season. In 2018, UCSB's 3-1 win over UC Riverside was his 250th career win. As of now, Vom Steeg is 2 wins away from 275 wins all-time. His overall record currently stands at 273-124-52.
Season tickets are currently on sale for the 2021 men's soccer campaign at UCSBGauchos.com.
UCSB is moving to mobile ticketing beginning this season. For more information, click here.
