The Schedule
Friday, September 10, 2021 at 4 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara (2-1-1) at Colgate (0-4-0)
All-time record vs. the Raiders (W-L-T): 1-0-0
Last meeting: Sept. 12, 2014: UCSB 4, Colgate 1
Video | Live Stats
Sunday, September 12, 2021 at 4 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara (2-1-1) at Cornell (1-1-0)
All-time record vs. the Big Red (W-L-T): First meeting
Video | Live Stats
• Video Stream Available
Both games this weekend will be broadcast online. The contest against Colgate will be streamed on the Patriot League TV portal, while the game against Cornell will be hosted on the ESPN+ platform. A subscription is required to access the latter matchup on Sunday afternoon.
• Business Trip
After extending their unbeaten start to three games with a 3-0 win over San Francisco, the Gauchos tasted defeat at No. 12 Stanford in a 2-1 loss. Now, head coach Tim Vom Steeg's squad travels to the east coast for a pair of games against Colgate and Cornell, looking to pick up two crucial road victories to prove that the blue and gold can get it done away from home. There's not much history between the Gauchos and the two teams, just a lone victory in 2014 against Colgate, and the last time that UCSB traveled to the east coast in the regular season was in 2017 in a 2-1 loss at St. John's. A win at either Colgate or Cornell would be the first against an opponent on the east coast since Sept. 11, 2015 at Yale, in which the Gauchos won 2-0 (note: they have won in the eastern time zone since then, but not against a team specifically in the coastal region).
• Receiving Votes
For the second consecutive week, the Gauchos are receiving votes in the College Soccer News Top 30 ranking, though they are no longer receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25. UCSB is listed as "receiving votes" without a count of the votes in the publication's poll.
• The Gaucho Rewind – Week Two
Game 3: UCSB 3, San Francisco 0: UCSB took down the Dons on goals from Thaabit Baartman and Carson Vom Steeg inside of 13 minutes into the match and Finn Ballard McBride sealed the deal in the 73rd minute as Leroy Zeller and the Gaucho defense kept its first clean sheet of the year.
Game 4: No. 12 Stanford 2, UCSB 1: UCSB suffered its first loss of the season after allowing goals within the first five minutes of each half and falling short in its comeback bid late in the contest. Stanford's Ousseni Bouda assisted on the first goal to Zach Ryan and scored the second, while the Gauchos chased the game and found a goal through Thaabit Baartman, his third of the year, via Finn Ballard McBride's assist, but couldn't get the equalizer despite a flurry of attempts in the final ten minutes.
• Muntari Earns Pair of Awards in First Week of Play, 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 Aug. 30. 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.
• 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. His overall record currently stands at 275-125-53 (as of Sept. 8, 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.
