Following a 2013 season that saw an undefeated run in Big West play, a No. 10 national seed in the NCAA Tournament, and a seventh straight season at the top of the NCAA attendance charts, UC Santa Barbara men’s soccer is back at it in 2014 with a rigorous schedule featuring traditional rivals, national powerhouses, and a sure-fire good time for Gaucho soccer fans.
“We’re excited as a team to get back out there and follow up on last year’s success,” said UCSB head coach Tim Vom Steeg. “With how young our team is, we feel we can do even better this season. Playing some of the top teams on the west coast will be a challenge, but one I think that our team is up for.”
UCSB will welcome 10 teams to Harder Stadium over the course of its 19-game regular season schedule, including 2013 NCAA Tournament participants Northwestern, UCLA, Cal State Northridge, and UC Irvine.
The home schedule begins with an Aug. 23 exhibition match with cross-town rival Westmont, followed by the regular season home opener against Northwestern on Sep. 5. UCSB’s annual showdown with blue-green rival Cal Poly is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 1, the final home tilt of the regular season.
The blue-and-gold will have a six-game homestand starting on Sep. 12 against Colgate and closing with an Oct. 4 contest against UC Irvine. That homestand will also feature a battle for west coast supremacy with UCLA on Sep. 20, fixtures against San Diego State and Drake during move-in weekend (Sep. 26 and 28, respectively) and a Big West-opening tilt against conference rival Cal State Northridge on Oct. 2.
The Gauchos will also play key road games at Stanford (Sep. 9), Loyola Marymount (Oct. 14), and Cal Poly (Oct. 24).
This year’s UCSB squad will return all five first-year starters from last season, including Big West Freshman of the Year Ismaila Jome. The winger is joined by fellow sophomore core members Drew Murphy, Josh McNeely, Nick DePuy, and Paul Ehmann. Fullback Kevin Garcia-Lopez and forward Reed McKenna will be counted on for experienced leadership as the only two seniors on the youth-filled 2014 team.
Key newcomers include Adonis Amaya, Axel Mendez, Ryo Fujii and Jeff Quezada, who are all members of the LA Galaxy Academy, one of the top club teams in the country.
A variety of ticket options are available for UCSB soccer fans this upcoming season, including the best family entertainment value in town with the popular Family Plan. Ticket plans for the 2014 season include:
Family Plan (five season tickets) for $180, averaging out to under $4 per person per game
Single Season ticket for $70
Faculty/staff season ticket for $55
GKids membership (8th grade or under), including a season ticket for $25
Single-game tickets: $10 for adults, $6 for senior/youth/military
To order tickets for the 2014 Gaucho men’s soccer season, contact the UCSB Athletics Ticket Office at 805-893-UCSB (8272).
2014 UCSB MEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULE
August
Sat 23 Westmont, 7 PM PDT
Fri 29 at Col. of Charleston, 4:30 PM PDT
Sun 31 at Furman, Charlston, S.C. 9 AM PDT
September
Fri 5 Northwestern, 7 PM PDT
Tue 9 at Stanford, 7 PM PDT
Fri 12 Colgate, 7:30 PM PDT
Sat 20 UCLA, 7 PM PDT
Fri 26 San Diego State, 7 PM PDT
Sun 28 Drake, 6 PM PDT
October
Thu 2 Cal State Northridge * 7 PM PDT
Sat 4 UC Irvine * 7 PM PDT
Thu 9 at Cal State Fullerton * 8 PM PDT
Sat 11 at UC Riverside * 7 PM PDT
Tue 14 at Loyola Marymount, 7 PM PDT
Sat 18 at UC Davis * 7 PM PDT
Tue 21 Sacramento State * 7 PM PDT
Fri 24 at Cal Poly * 7 PM PDT
Wed 29 UC Davis * 7 PM PDT
November
Sat 1 Cal Poly * 7 PM PDT
Wed 5 at Sacramento State * 2 PM PST
Sat 8 at Big West Quarter Finals
Wed 12 at Big West Semi Finals
Sat 15 at Big West Championship
Thu 20 at NCAA Tournament First Round TBA
Sun 23 at NCAA Tournament Second Round TBA
Sun 30 at NCAA Tournament Third Round TBA
December
Fri 5 at NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals TBA
Sat 6 at NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals TBA
Sun 7 at NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals TBA
Fri 12 at NCAA College Cup Semi-Finals TBA
Sun 14 at NCAA College Cup Championship TBA
* = Conference games.
