• UCSB vs. Stanford – Sponsored by Logic Monitor
Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. PT
UC Santa Barbara (5-1-2) vs. No. 5-T Stanford (4-0-3)
Student T-Shirt Giveaway
at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
• Aguilar Heads in 90th Minute Winner at Cal Poly
The nail-biting 54th Division I edition of the Blue-Green rivalry on Wednesday turned out to be a classic. After leading for most of the match on an Alexis Ledoux goal, UCSB was slowed down by injuries and would concede an 89th minute equalizer on a penalty. However, a final push from the Gauchos led to a critical cross from defender Jorge Aldana to forward Salvador Aguilar, who headed in his fourth goal of the season in dramatic fashion to clinch a 2-1 win with just 12 seconds left on the clock.
• Non-Conference Finale vs. The Cardinal
The Cardinal owns a 15-6-3 all-time edge over the Gauchos. Since 2004, seven of the eight games between the two sides have been decided by one goal or ended in a tie. While the most recent meeting ended in a 2-1 Stanford home win last year, the Cardinal is 0-1-1 in its last two trips to Harder Stadium. The 2019 contest ended in a 3-3 tie when Stanford was ranked No. 1 in the nation. Before that, in the 2015 season-opener – the last time the Gauchos faced the Cardinal with a No. 5 national ranking – the game ended in a 1-0 UCSB home victory. The Gauchos are carrying a five-game unbeaten streak into Saturday night's match, while Stanford enters with an undefeated 4-0-3 mark.
• Air Aguilar
Santa Barbara could easily have two more in the loss column without the late-game heroics of Salvador Aguilar. At 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, the sophomore is not only the Gauchos' tallest forward – he is their de facto target through the air, possessing a dangerous combination of aerial physicality and precision headers that continues to show up when UCSB needs it most. Aguilar leads the team with four goals this season, including two game-winners and two late second half equalizers.
His first goal came in a 1-1 season-opening tie at No. 17 Missouri State, when he brought the Gauchos level in the 75th minute. Three nights later, he opened the scoring in UCSB's 2-0 win over California Baptist. Most recently, he equalized in dramatic fashion with an 88th minute stunner against Grand Canyon and followed it up with the 90th minute winner in a classic Blue-Green rivalry match at Alex G. Spanos Stadium, leaving just 12 seconds on the clock.
The match against GCU also saw the former San Jose Earthquakes Academy standout record his first career assist. That led to his second Big West Offensive Player of the Week of the season and the third of his career. He earned his first Big West PotW of 2022 after becoming the first Gaucho to score in each of the first two games of the season since Carter Clemmensen (2018). In the Big West, he is tied for second in goals (4) and second in shots on goal (10).
• Lucas Gonzalez Named to National Team of the Week (College Soccer News)
After being held out for UCSB's first two games of the season due to injury, redshirt sophomore Lucas Gonzalez has been immensely consistent. He recorded an assist in each of his first four games, with the run coming to an end against GCU last Saturday. Two weekends ago, the Long Beach, Calif. native contributed to three of UCSB's eight goals, and as a result earned 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 the first Gaucho to earn recognition on a national scale so far this year and is currently tied for second 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 second Gaucho to earn conference Player of the Week honors and the first on the defensive end.
• McBride Hitting Stride
Australia native Finn Ballard McBride found paydirt in three consecutive outings prior to the GCU game, doing so for the first time since scoring in four straight games midway through his 2019 freshman season. With a goal in just under half his appearances this season, the two-time reigning Big West scoring champion and 2021 All-Big West First Team selection is right on pace with his sterling career average of 0.43 goals per game. His three goals are currently second on the Gauchos and tied for fifth in the Big West.
• Nemo Finding Huge Success
UCSB's coaching staff has encouraged junior midfielder Nemo Philipp to go for goal when he has the chance, and the Hamburg, Germany native has done just that. His eight shots on goal are second on the team and are tied for fourth in the conference.
Two weekends ago, the Gaucho faithful saw flashes of Philipp's unforgettable game-winning goal in last year's Big West Championship semifinals, as he scored twice from outside the box – first on a low, perfectly-struck curler against Utah Valley, and next on a cross from the right wing against Oregon State that ended up in the top left corner of the net. Philipp also notched his first two assists that weekend, which currently have him tied for 10th in the Big West.
• 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. For the third time in the last two seasons, Zeller registered a career-best 11 saves over a two-game span, going for a season-high six against Cornell and five at LMU to open the month of September. His .743 save percentage currently ranks third in the Big West.
• First National Ranking
UCSB has received votes every week since the preseason, cracking the top-25 with a No. 18 national ranking for the week following Sept. 5-11 (United Soccer Coaches).
• 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).
