IRVINE, Calif. — The Big West announced its Men's Soccer Players of the Week on Monday, with UC Santa Barbara's Jacob Blach and Mateos Carvalho both earning acclaim from the conference. Blach was named Big West Defensive Player of the Week after anchoring the back line to two wins, while Carvalho earned Big West Freshman of the Week honors on the back of his first career goal against North Florida.
 
Coming into last week, the Gauchos needed to improve defensively, and Blach provided just the reinforcement they were looking for. The Dane stepped into Santa Barbara's back line, allowing Calle Mollerberg to move forward into the defensive midfield, where he provided a stability that the Gauchos had previously been missing, allowing the Blue and Gold to better control the game. Blach was just as steady himself at center back, playing the full 90 minutes of his team's wins over Central Arkansas and North Florida and helping the Gauchos record a first clean sheet of the season against the Ospreys. He was particularly impressive in the air, intercepting lofted passes and crosses just as well as his taller defensive partners.
 
Carvalho was the beneficiary of Santa Barbara's chokehold on the game against the Ospreys, scoring his first career goal to ice the 3-0 win on Thursday night. He was the recipient of a brilliant sequence of passes, getting himself in exactly the right place to tap the ball into an open net. Of course, the rookie had to earn the right to be on the field, which he had done with his play in the two prior games. He had crashed a shot off the post in the season opener at Oregon State and forced a save in Monday night's win over Central Arkansas, so Thursday's goal was hardly a surprise.
 
Blach, Carvalho and the Gauchos will finish this homestand on Friday, Sept. 5 by hosting Cornell. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from Harder Stadium.