IRVINE, Calif. — The No. 3 seed UC Santa Barbara Men's Soccer team continues their postseason run on Saturday, heading to No. 2 seed UC Irvine for The Big West Semifinal. The Gauchos will look to keep the momentum rolling after their comeback victory over UC Riverside in the first round on Wednesday night and book a spot in the conference title match.
 
WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH
Saturday's semifinal will kick off at 6 p.m. from Anteater Stadium in Irvine. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos erased a 2-0 deficit to knock off the No. 6 seed UC Riverside, 3-2, in The Big West First Round on Wednesday night. Goals from Nicolas Willumsen and Alexis Ledoux brought UC Santa Barbara level, then Salvador Aguilar provided the winner in the 86^th minute.
 
When the Gauchos and Anteaters met in the 2023 regular season, it finished as a scoreless draw, UC Irvine's only tie this season. UC Santa Barbara was without both Nemo Philipp and Lucas Gonzalez on the night, and both teams' defenses took center stage.
 
The Gauchos and Anteaters met in the semifinals of last year's Big West Championship too, with the then-No. 2 seed UC Santa Barbara earning a 2-1 win in overtime at Harder Stadium. Philipp and Gonzalez played starring roles in that fixture, with the German providing the opening goal and Gonzalez's flicked header leading to the game-winning own goal.
 
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAUCHOS (10-7-2, 4-3-2 Big West)
In the eight matches since UC Santa Barbara last faced UC Irvine, the Gauchos have posted a 5-2-1 record, scoring 13 goals. That run includes two big wins on the road, 2-1 at UC Davis and 1-0 in the Blue-Green Rivalry match at Cal Poly.
 
The Gaucho offense got an infusion of life in that win over the Mustangs, as All-Big West First Team midfielder Lucas Gonzalez made his return from an ankle injury, scoring the game-winning goal. Gonzalez added a goal and an assist against Sacramento State on Senior Night, then a third goal in as many games on the road at CSUN. He leads the team in both goals and assists, with five of each.
 
There is truly strength in numbers for the Gauchos' attack, specifically the sheer number of players with the ability to score goals. Santa Barbara has a conference-best eight players with two or more goals this season, and five of those players have at least four.
 
While defense has not necessarily been the Gauchos' strong suit this season, they are anchored by a veteran presence in goalkeeper Leroy Zeller. The senior is tied for the second-most goalkeeper appearances in Santa Barbara history, behind the legendary Dan Kennedy, and ranks sixth for both career saves (209) and career shutouts (20).
 
SCOUTING THE ANTEATERS (8-6-3, 5-3-1 Big West)
UC Irvine stumbled immediately after their meeting with the Gauchos, losing back-to-back matches, but finished the season hot, going 4-1 in their last five matches, including upsetting then-No. 13 Cal State Fullerton in Fullerton.
 
Defense has been the Anteaters' strength this season, as they have conceded the fewest goals of the six Big West Championship participants and the second-fewest of any conference member. Goalkeeper Luke Pruter has played every minute of the season so far in goal, maintaining a 0.94 goals-against average, the second best in The Big West.
 
The UCI offense has been accomplished by committee this season. Ten different Anteaters have found the back of the net this season, but only four have done so more than once. Likewise, 11 'Eaters have provided at least one assist, but only six have set up more than one goal. UCI's 17 goals this season are tied for the fewest in the conference.