SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Sept. 7, 2023) — Fresh off a win against the Western Athletic Conference's UNLV Rebels, the UC Santa Barbara Men's Soccer team will face two more WAC members this week, hosting the Utah Valley Wolverines on Saturday, September 9 before traveling to Phoenix to play Grand Canyon next Tuesday, September 12. Saturday will be the Gauchos' annual AYSO Banner Night at Harder Stadium.
 
WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH
Saturday night's match against Utah Valley will kick off at 7 p.m. from Harder Stadium. For fans who cannot make it to the stadium, the match will be live on ESPN+ with live stats available on ucsbgauchos.com.
 
When the Gauchos visit Grand Canyon on Tuesday, they will get underway at 6 p.m. Pacific Time from GCU Stadium in Phoenix. That match will also be broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats will be available through ucsbgauchos.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Santa Barbara picked up their second home win of the season in their last match, taking down UNLV, 2-1, on Monday night. Lucas Gonzalez assisted Nalu Mack's first Gaucho goal to open the scoring then converted a first-half penalty kick himself for the eventual game winner. Leroy Zeller made a season-high eight saves to shut down a Rebel rally and secure victory.
 
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAUCHOS
UC Santa Barbara has had a rollercoaster start to the season, going loss-win-loss-win in their first four matches, and there has been no shortage of goals in those four contests. The 19 total goals scored by the Gauchos and their opponents makes this the highest scoring start to a season since 2002, when Santa Barbara and their opponents combined to score 23 goals.
 
Lucas Gonzalez has been involved in half of the Gauchos' goals so far this season, scoring two and assisting two more. Both his goals have come from the penalty spot, including the game winner against UNLV.  Nemo Philipp is the only other Gaucho with both a goal and an assist on the season. A total of 10 players have either scored or assisted for Santa Barbara this season.
 
Leroy Zeller proved crucial in Santa Barbara's win over UNLV on Monday. Both his eight stops and his .889 save percentage are the second-highest marks of his career when facing ten or more shots.
 
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
Utah Valley comes into the weekend with a 1-3 record, having won their season opener against Kansas City but fallen in their next three matches. Most recently, the Wolverines were trounced by now-No. 3 Portland, 6-0, in the Rose City on Monday. Their other two losses came against Western Michigan at home and on the road at Oregon State. Utah Valley scored four of their six total goals in that season-opening win, with each goal coming from a different player. Currently, midfielders Owen Knecht and Omar Yehya lead the team in points with a goal and an assist each.
 
The Wolverines are coached by Utah soccer legend and US Men's National Team fixture Kyle Beckerman, who is in his third season at the helm. Beckerman played 14 of his 21 professional seasons at nearby Real Salt Lake, helping the club win MLS Cup in 2009 and retired as Major League Soccer's leader in games and minutes played. He also made 58 appearances for the US Men's National Team during his career. He is the second head coach in the program's ten-year history.
 
SCOUTING THE ANTELOPES
Grand Canyon comes into the weekend with a 1-3 record after starting their season on the road. They will play their home opener on Friday night against Stetson before hosting the Gauchos on Tuesday. The Antelopes' lone win came in Omaha last Friday, when they took down a Creighton team which received votes in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, 2-1.
 
Forward Bright Nutornutsi scored the game winner against the Blue Jays; he leads the Lopes in goals with two. Freshman midfielder Jorge Lopez is Grand Canyon's top assister so far, also with two. Junior Clayton Duarte is the only Lope with a goal and an assist. Junior goalkeeper Leon Schmidt was named the WAC Goalkeeper of the Week last week. He made a career-best eight saves in the win over Creighton, then made six more stops against Omaha to total 14 over Labor Day Weekend. Schmidt has 24 saves through four matches this season, making at least five in each contest.