Gauchos seek first Big West Tournament title

With all it has accomplished over the years, there’s one prize the UCSB men’s soccer program has yet to bring home: A Big West Tournament championship trophy.

The tournament is only in its third year, and the Gauchos have played in the previous two finals, but they have come out on the losing end each time against UC Irvine.

They’re back in the title match again, but Irvine won’t be the opponent. The Gauchos will face surprising Cal State Fullerton for the title and the conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Harder Stadium.

Fullerton, the fourth-seed, stunned top-seed UC Irvine, 2-1, in the semifinals on Wednesday. It was only the second win in the last 20 meetings for the Titans, who were outscored 10-3 in their two regular season losses to the Anteaters.

Second-seeded UCSB, meanwhile, worked overtime to oust Cal Poly, 2-1, on Nic Ryan’s golden goal in the 98th minute.

The matchup between 22nd-ranked UCSB (12-4-3, with an RPI of 40) and Fullerton (7-11-2, RPI of 161) looks to be a mismatch. But the Gauchos learned this season they can’t take anything for granted.

They opened Big West play with a 1-0 overtime loss against the Titans. In that match, Sam Garza and Sam Hayden both received red cards and Fullerton goalkeeper Trevor Whiddon played out of his mind, making 10 saves.

In the rematch at Harder Stadium, Whiddon played amazing again, stopping nine shots in the first half. But UCSB kept pressuring and broke through with goals by Joe Eubanks and Garza less than a minute apart and won 3-0.

Whiddon didn’t play in the semifinal against Irvine because of an injury suffered in practice earlier in the week. In his place, Titans coach Bob Ammann used freshman Bryan Escalante and he played huge, making eight saves in his college debut.

Whether it’s Whiddon or Escalante in the goal, they can expect to be busy. They’ll be facing a UCSB team that gets a huge boost with the return Machael David to the lineup. David, who was suspended for the semifinal match with a red card, is the linchpin in the midfield. He cuts off the opposition’s flow and then ignites the Gauchos’ attack.

National champion in 2006 and runner-up in 2004, UCSB is aiming for its ninth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and a third trip to the College Cup, which it is hosting, Dec. 10-12.

Their path to the Cup goes through Saturday’s Big West Tournament Championship.

Tickets to the Big West Championship are on sale online at UCSBgauchos.com. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets online and print their ticket at home to skip lines at the ticket booth on game day.

Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, $5 for Fullerton and UCSB students, and $3 for youth.