With just two weekends left of conference play and five points separating first through fourth place, the race for Big West Tournament slots is heating up in a major way. Resurgent UC Irvine has the toughest task among the competitors as the Anteaters travel to Orange County rival Cal State Fullerton and host league-leading and consensus national top 10 side UC Santa Barbara.
NOTEWORTHY
Vom Steeg Stands Alone in Big West Lore
Now in the 11th year at the helm of his alma mater, UC Santa Barbara head coach Tim Vom Steeg has achieved a major Big West milestone this season. Thanks to the Gauchos’ 1-0 win over Cal Poly on October 7, Vom Steeg is now the all-time winningest coach in Big West lore, passing former Fresno State manager Jose Elgorriaga's total of 126 wins. Vom Steeg is already the career leader in league-only triumphs, posting his 60th career win against Big West foes with the Gauchos’ victory against UC Irvine on September 27. He is the lone coach in Big West history to post 60+ wins in conference play and 120+ overall wins during league membership.
Hat Trick....Again
It took the league 260 games between hat trick #20 and #21, but suddenly its become the norm as hat trick #22 only took nine games from #21. This one was once again by a Cal Poly player as David Zamora scored three times in a span of under seven minutes in the Mustangs' 3-1 victory over Cal State Northridge on October 24, the first hat trick given up by CSUN as a member of the Big West. With its two hat tricks this season, Cal Poly became the first team since the 2005 UC Irvine club to post two hat tricks in a season. The conference record for a single season is three set by the 1984 Anteater squad. If either Zamora or Junior Burgos, who had Cal Poly's previous hat trick, picks up another this season, it will be the first time since 2005 that a player on one team has picked multiple hat tricks. That season, UC Irvine's Anthony Hamilton did it in back-to-back matches against Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly.
UC Irvine Back Among the Contenders
Two matches into the conference schedule, UC Irvine was reeling thanks to two losses and only one goal scored in those two Big West outings. Since then, George Kuntz’ group has righted the ship as they enter a key week in conference play on a four-match conference winning streak and a five-match victory run overall. In those four Big West matches, the ‘Eaters have scored 11 goals while yielding just four to the opposition. The nation has taken notice of UCI’s ascension back into the elite as the club is ranked in four national polls.
UC Riverside Breaking Out of Scoring Slump
UC Riverside was in the midst of a scoring slump for almost a month, but the Highlander offense is showing signs of reawakening. UCR has scored multiple goals in two of its last three matches after posting one goal or less in its previous seven outings. In fact, good things have happened for the Highlander side when they’ve scored multiple goals as the club is 1-2-1 when scoring two goals or more.
UCI's Kuntz Set to Enter Elite Company
Now in his eighth year of conference membership with UC Irvine, George Kuntz is set to enter a select group of coaches if the Anteaters can continue their winning ways. With two more conference wins and three more overall victories, Kuntz would be just the fifth coach in Big West history with 90+ overall and 40+ conference victories. Two of the other four are current coaches in UC Santa Barbara's Tim Vom Steeg (130/64) and Cal State Northridge's Terry Davila (93/46), while the other two are former Cal State Fullerton head coach Al Mistri (119/51) and former UNLV coach Barry Barto (116/46).
Lending a Helping Hand
A year ago, UC Irvine's 41 assists led the Big West and were tied for ninth on the conference single season list. This year, that number might be surpassed by a couple of teams as 2009 has been the year of the helper. UC Santa Barbara leads the league with 32 assists and if they keep on their pace of 2.13 per game with a possible six games remaining (through the Big West Tournament), the Gauchos are on pace to end up with 45 assists which would be eighth on the single-season conference list. Meanwhile, the Anteaters are currently second with 28 assists and with a potential six matches until the NCAA selections, could finish with 40.
The Gaucho Wall
The major question mark for UC Santa Barbara entering ‘09 was its defense...well consider the question answered and then some. After allowing 39 goals and posting a 1.67 goals against average in 22 matches last season, the Gauchos have allowed just 12 goals and posted a 0.78 goals against average in 15 outings this year. UCSB has also shut out nine of their opponents, just one shy of ninth on the Big West single season list.
Now its the Defense's Turn
While 2008 was the year of the goal scorer, the defense has gotten its revenge in 2009. Currently, the league boasts eight keepers who have posted a 1.54 goals against average or better, two more than the total from a year ago. In addition, the league has also posted 29 shutouts, just seven fewer than the total from the 2008 season.
Big West Live to Twitter
The Big West Conference is excited to bring Big West Live to Twitter, a Twitter feed designed to give fans an in-the-stands view of select Big West Events. Bringing near-instantaneous photos, commentary, and updates, Big West Live is the first feed of its kind. Moving beyond the scores and stats, Big West Live delivers the “color” of Big West events.