• The Schedule
Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. PT
UC Santa Barbara (9-2-5, 4-0-3) at UC Irvine (4-11-1, 4-3)
at Anteater Stadium in Irvine, Calif.
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
Saturday, October 29, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. PT
UC Santa Barbara (9-2-5, 4-0-3) at UC Riverside (5-7-4, 4-2-2)
at UCR Soccer Stadium in Riverside, Calif.
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
• Undefeated Start to Big West
UC Santa Barbara hasn't gone undefeated in Big West play since it went 7-0-3 in 2013, but the Gauchos took another step towards an unbeaten conference mark with last Wednesday's 3-0 win over UC Davis and 1-1 draw with Cal Poly. Finn Ballard McBride scored another three goals in two games, including the game-winner against the Aggies and an 87th minute equalizer against the Mustangs. Lucas Gonzalez added UCSB's other goaland goalkeeper Leroy Zeller tied a season-high with six second half saves to preserve a sixth consecutive clean sheet before UCSB's shutout streak came to an end against Cal Poly.
• Six Straight Shutouts
UCSB tied a program record with its sixth straight shutout against the Aggies last Wednesday. The only other time in program history that the Gauchos shutout six straight opponents was in 2009, when they went 5-0-1 while outscoring opponents 8-0 from Oct. 24-Nov. 11.
• Big West Picture
UCSB owns the conference's best overall record at 9-2-5 (.719) and are the last undefeated team during Big West play at 4-0-3 (.786). The Gauchos are currently atop the standings with 15 points and will clinch the Big West regular season championship with a win this week. Click here to view the full standings.
• McBride Rises to No. 6 All-Time
After injuries slowed forward Finn Ballard McBride down to start the year, head coach Tim Vom Steeg mentioned that he had been waiting for his star forward to get going, and that's exactly what he he has done all through Big West play.
Finn leads the conference with eight goals and 17 points in seven conference games and sits atop the Big West with 11 goals for the year. His five game-winning goals are tied for second in the nation.
Earlier this week, for the third time this month, Ballard McBride was named both to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week and Big West Offensive Player of the Week. He now has 29 goals in his career, putting him in a tie with Chris Pontius for No. 6 all-time at UCSB. With a season average of .688 goals per game and a career average of .500, he is in position to lead the Big West in goals for the third time in his career.
• Unbeaten Away From Home
The Gauchos own a 3-0-2 record in games away from Harder Stadium, for a win percentage of .800 (ties count as half a win towards win percentage). Under head coach Tim Vom Steeg, they have never gone undefeated away from home heading into the postseason. Three times, they ended the regular season with just a single away defeat. Their best ever away record came in 2004, when they went 10-2-1 (.808) for the year after advancing all the way to the NCAA Championship game, and 6-1-1 (.813) during the regular season.
Best Away Records under Tim Vom Steeg (since 1999)
2004: 6-1-1 (.813) – regular season only
2004: 10-2-1 (.808) – including NCAA Tournament
2002: 5-1-1 (.786) – regular season only
2016: 5-1-1 (.786)
• Rescheduled Game
The Gauchos' game at UC Irvine last Saturday, Oct. 15 was postponed due to inclement weather. The match has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 26 at Anteater Stadium.
• UCSB Dominating Big West Weekly Awards
The Gauchos have won eight of the 18 Big West Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week awards handed out this season. Finn Ballard McBride and Salvador Aguilar lead the team with three offensive selections. Henry Davies and Leroy Zeller both have one Big West Defensive Player of the Week honor.
• Stellar Zeller
At 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, imposing junior Leroy Zeller is able to cover a lot of ground. Head coach Tim Vom Steeg has lauded the German goalkeeper for his increased maturity in handling the position over the past year, and the on-field results have been palpable. Zeller has led the Gauchos to six straight shutouts to begin Big West play, averaging a conference-leading 3.7 saves per match. In the opening week of conference play, he had seven stops to earn his first career Big West Defensive Player of the Week award.
During Big West competition, he leads the pack with a remarkable .963 save percentage and has allowed five goals fewer (0) than any other Big West keeper. His .815 save percentage for the season ranks 21st in the nation, while his seven shutouts in 15 games are tied for 7th. For the second straight year, he is at the top of the list for goalie minutes, having played every minute every game.
• Lucas Gonzalez Named to National Team of the Week
After being held out for UCSB's first two games of the season due to injury, redshirt sophomore Lucas Gonzalez has been outstanding wherever he has operated on the field. He recorded an assist in each of his first four games, and five weekends ago, the Long Beach, Calif. native contributed to three of UCSB's eight goals, resulting in National Team of the Week recognition from College Soccer News.
In his first four games, the talented midfielder already surpassed his offensive totals from last season. He is currently tied for fourth in the Big West with four assists.
• Henry Davies Earns First Career Big West Defensive Player of the Week Award
Reigning conference Defensive Player of the Year Henry Davies was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Week for the first time on Monday, Sept. 12 after not only leading UCSB's back line to great success, but being responsible for starting many of the Gauchos' offensive attacks. In the Gauchos' 5-1 win over Utah Valley, Davies found himself in the right place to head in the game's opening goal off a set piece from the corner, giving him his first of the season. He is the only Gaucho other than Aguilar to earn conference Player of the Week honors and the first on the defensive end.
• Air Aguilar
6-foot-2, 175-pound Salvador Aguilar tore up defenses with his aerial prowess this season, leading to three Big West Offensive Player of the Week selections. He began the year by becoming the first Gaucho since 2018 to score in the first two games of the season, with a 75th minute goal at then-No. 19 Missouri State and a game-winner against Cal Baptist. From Sept. 17-24, he enjoyed a majestic stretch of dramatic goals, scoring an unbelievable 88th minute equalizer against Grand Canyon, a classic 90th minute winner at Cal Poly, and a 3rd-minute stunner against then-No. 5 Stanford.
The former San Jose Earthquakes Academy standout joins Nick DePuy (2015) and Luis Silva (2011) as the only Gauchos to win Big West Offensive Player of the Week three times in the same season. He is the fifth Gaucho ever to earn Big West PotW honors four different times in a career, trailing only DePuy (6) for the program's all-time record.
• Hanging Around the Top-25
The Gauchos entered the second week of Big West play with a No. 24 National Ranking (United Soccer Coaches) and once again received votes this week. UCSB has received votes every week since the preseason, initially cracking the top-25 with a No. 18 national ranking for the week following Sept. 5-11.
• Unbeaten August
UCSB went unbeaten in its first two regular season matches and two exhibitions in August, outscoring opponents by a total of 11-2. The Gauchos equalized late to take a 1-1 tie at No. 19 Missouri State in their season-opener on Aug. 25 and defeated California Baptist 2-0 at home three days later.
• Starting Strong
The Gauchos are unbeaten in their last 11 season-openers with a 9-0-2 record since 2011.
• Season Preview: Defending Champs to Bring Talent and Excitement Back to Harder
Coming off a year where he felt his team far exceeded expectations, head coach Tim Vom Steeg has set the bar for his 2022 Gauchos significantly higher. It will be an intriguing challenge to watch for a team that not only scored 44 goals in 2021 – 11 more than any other school in the conference – and was one of just two Big West schools to allow fewer than a goal per contest, but that also returns 10 of its 11 primary starters from last season.
Adding depth in specific areas was Vom Steeg's offseason focus, and he feels the team's needs have been met with the resulting mix of new offensive playmakers, midfield talent and additional defenders. Check out the 2022 season preview for a full breakdown of this year's Gauchos.
• Preseason Coaches' Poll Favors Gauchos
The Big West Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll is putting last year's Big West champs and Big West runner-ups in the same boat, as UCSB and UC Irvine tied for the most All-Preseason Team selections (3) as well as points (71), although the Gauchos took six first-place votes to the Anteaters' three. Finn Ballard McBride, Henry Davies and Thaabit Baartman were all voted to the Big West Preseason Coaches' Team.
• Gauchos in the Pros: 2022 USL Outings and MLS Updates
Among the current players competing professionally in USL League Two for the Gauchos this past summer were Lucas Gonzalez, Finn Ballard McBride and Alexis Ledoux. Read about their exploits as well as other former members of the program who continue playing at a high level on the USL and MLS fronts here.
• 2021 Recap
UC Santa Barbara was neck-at-neck with UC Irvine during the conference season, as both teams shared the top record during Big West play at 6-1-2 heading into the playoffs. However, they couldn't have looked more different in the final match of the conference tournament, as the Gauchos capped off a magical run with a 4-0 thrashing at Harder Field, the most lopsided win in Big West Championship game history. Despite injuries that could have easily derailed the season, UCSB won its first tournament championship since 2010 and second ever, clinching the program's 14th NCAA Tournament berth since 2002.
Nine Gauchos were named All-Conference, including Big West Defensive Player of the Year Henry Davies and fellow First Teamer Finn Ballard McBride, whose nine goals led the conference for the second straight season. As a team, UCSB finished 12th in the nation in goals (44), 14th in shutouts (9) and 16th in goal differential (+24).
• The Vom Steeg Files
Tim Vom Steeg is in his 24th 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 14 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 heading into the 2022 season stands at 285-129-56 (.688).
