• The Schedule
Thursday, August 25, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. PT
UC Santa Barbara at No. 19 Missouri State
at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium – Springfield, Mo.
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
Sunday, August 28, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. PT
UC Santa Barbara vs. California Baptist
Frontline Workers Night
at Harder Stadium – Santa Barbara, Calif.
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
• Community Shield Game
Facing Westmont in their first game back at Harder Stadium, the Gauchos put on a display on the offensive end, showcasing new talent that looked to fit in seamlessly with the defending Big West champs. Sophomore forward Salvador Aguilar tucked away two headers in the second half, while junior forward Finn Ballard McBride opened the scoring in the 43rd minute and newcomer Filip Basili added another in the 58th. 27 Gauchos saw the pitch as UCSB dominated possession from the outset, continuously ramping up the pressure to the tune of a 26-3 shot advantage to overcome a brilliant first half by Westmont goalkeeper Abraham Arteaga.
• Battle of the Conference Champions
The Gauchos will face a tough test to begin the regular season this Thursday with an ESPN+ streamed match at No. 19 Missouri State. The Bears are coming off a 2021 campaign in which they posted a 17-2 overall record and won their second straight Missouri Valley Conference Tournament to head into the NCAA Tournament with the highest win percentage (.944) in the nation.
Missouri State boasts two players on the United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch List in forward Aadne Bruseth and midfielder Kian Yari. Bruseth is a two-time All-MVC First Team selection and United Soccer Coaches All-Region honoree, while Yari also earned All-Region status last year after leading MSU with eight assists. The two sides have met just once ever, when the Gauchos downed the Bears 4-1 in a 2002 meeting.
• 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.
Finn Ballard McBride – 2021 All-Big West First Team, 2x Big West Leading Goalscorer
Ballard McBride has been busy building his resume in two full seasons with UCSB, finishing first in the conference by putting away nine goals in both the 2019 and 2021 seasons. Along with becoming the ninth Gaucho in 11 years to earn Big West Freshman of the Year honors at the conclusion of the 2019 season, he also became UCSB's fourth-ever player to make it onto a freshman All-America list (Top Drawer Soccer). In 2021, he not only led the Big West again in finding the back of the net, he also ranked first in the conference in assists (7) and points (25) while ranking sixth in shots on goal (16).
Henry Davies – 2021 Big West Defensive Player of the Year, All-Big West First Team
Davies anchored the Gauchos' backline to seven clean sheets in the regular season and two more in the Big West Semifinals and Championship wins over UC Davis and UC Irvine, respectively. As a whole, UCSB's defense allowed fewer than a goal per game while the offense averaged 2.1.
Speaking of offense, Davies also came up big on that end of the field, scoring three times including the game-winner at UC San Diego on Oct. 13 and to put the Gauchos up 3-0 in the championship game against the Anteaters. The Springwood, Australia native took home the Gauchos' 11th Big West Defensive Player of the Year award (2001, 2004-07, 2009-11, 2014, 2019), most in the conference.
Thaabit Baartman – 2021 All-Big West First Team
Baartman made a huge impact in 2021 from the outset as he scored three goals in his first four matches as a Gaucho, including the team's only one against No. 12 Stanford on Sep. 6. Baartman would prove his ability to score in style, whether from the edge of the 18-yard box or in the clutch, like when he put his seventh and final goal of the season away to put UCSB up 3-2 in the 76th minute of a close Oct. 23 win over UC Riverside. Baartman's readiness to go for goal saw him attempt 54 shots last year, well ahead of Ballard McBride's second-ranked 33 attempts.
• 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).
