The Schedule
Friday, September 3, 2021 at 7 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara vs. San Francisco
All-time record vs. the Dons (W-L-T): 1-8-3
Non-Profit Night
Video | Live Stats
Monday, September 6, 2021 at 7 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara at No. 12 Stanford
All-time record vs. the Cardinal (W-L-T): 6-14-3
Video | Live Stats
• Video Stream Available
The Gauchos' matchup against San Francisco 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.
• Friday is Non-Profit Night
Calling all local area non-profits! We want to celebrate your work and achievements. Join UCSB men's soccer as the team takes on San Francisco, with special recognition for non-profits planned throughout the game. For more information, view the event flyer or contact Bianca Deardorff at bianca.deardorff@athletics.ucsb.edu.
• Operation: Stay Unbeaten
The Gauchos completed their long-awaited return to the field last week with great success, putting a Vom Steeg-era record seven goals past San Diego in the season opener before drawing 1-1 with Cal. UCSB will now face an opponent they've historically not been successful against in the San Francisco Dons, with just one win for the Gauchos in the 12 all-time meetings between the two squads. It will be the first game between the two since 2004, when UCSB drew at San Francisco 1-1. On Monday, UCSB visits Stanford, a force in the college soccer world in the past decade, winning back-to-back-to-back national titles in 2015, 2016, and 2017. The last game between the Gauchos and then-No. 1 Cardinal in 2019 was a highly entertaining one, ending in a 3-3 draw. Now, the Cardinal find themselves ranked 12th in the College Soccer News poll, 14th in Top Drawer Soccer's rankings, and 25th in the United Soccer Coaches poll. For Carson Vom Steeg, it's a return to his former team which he won the title with in 2017 before transferring to UCSB.
• Receiving Votes
For the first time in 2021, the Gauchos are receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches' Top 25 poll and College Soccer News Top 30 ranking. UCSB received 11 votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll, whereas it is listed as "receiving votes" without a count of the votes in the College Soccer News poll.
• Muntari Earns Pair of Awards, Gillingham Named to Honorable Mention List
Senior forward Ameyawu Muntari was named the first Big West Offensive Player of the Week and UCSB Student-Athlete of the Week of the 2021 season on Monday afternoon. Muntari scored scored back-to-back goals in the 66th and 73rd minutes of the Gauchos' season-opening contest against San Diego, first dancing around a USD defender in the penalty area before thumping it into the roof of the net on the right side of goal. His second goal came on a free kick that he fired into the top left corner.
Senior centerback William Gillingham was an Honorable Mention addition to the Top Drawer Soccer Week Two Team of the Week for his efforts in helping a defense that allowed just two goals in its opening two games and for scoring the equalizer in UCSB's 1-1 draw against Cal on Sunday night.
• The Gaucho Rewind – Week One
Game 1: UCSB 7, San Diego 1: The Gauchos defeated the Toreros to open the season in style, setting a new record for most goals scored in a single regular season match in the Tim Vom Steeg era, now in its 23rd season. In addition, the seven goals in the back of the net were the most in a game since UCSB defeated Menlo Park 13-0 in 1998. Ameyawu Muntari had two goals for the blue and gold, with Carson Vom Steeg, Thaabit Baartman, Finn Ballard McBride, Diran Bebekian, and Rene Pacheco joining in on the fun with a goal apiece.
Game 2: UCSB 1, Cal 1 (2OT): The Gauchos and Golden Bears shared the spoils in a hard-fought game, with Cal going ahead early on a route-one ball over the top of the UCSB defense from the goalkeeper all the way up to Cal forward Wyatt Meyer, who perfectly nestled a shot into the bottom right corner. However, William Gillingham tapped in an equalizer in the 73rd minute when Cal's goalkeeper spilled a direct free kick from Thaabit Baartman right into the path of the New Zealander.
• 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 274-124-53 (as of Sept. 1, 2021).
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.
