UCSB’s three-win week in men’s soccer vaulted the Gauchos 21 spots to 32nd in the latest Ratings Percentage Index power-ranking.
The Gauchos also returned to the top 25 in a national poll, with Soccer America ranking them 18th after the wins over Cal Poly, Duke and UC Riverside.
Three days after pulling out a 4-3 win at Riverside for their fifth victory in a row, the Gauchos (8-3-2) hit the road again for a Big West match Wednesday night at a red-hot UC Davis.
UC Davis (5-8-0) is riding a three-game win streak — winning all three matches by one goal — and is tied for third place in the league (3-2-0, 9 points), three points behind the first-place Gauchos (4-1-0)
One of the big reasons for the Aggies’ recent success has been the play of goalkeeper Omar Zeenni. The true freshman is 3-1 with a 0.54 goals-against average. He’s made 13 saves and has a .812 save percentage.
UCSB got a boost to its attack last week went Michael Tetteh returned to the lineup after being sidelined with a groin injury. Tetteh scored a goal in the 4-3 win at Riverside.
The Gauchos also got big games from Danny Barrera and David Opoku.
UCSB returns home on Saturday night for a Big West match against Cal State Northridge.
