Men's Soccer Final Release
Men's Soccer All-Conference Team
Cal State Northridge equalled a Division I record for most victories in a season (15), won the Big West South Division and Tournament championships, and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005 to highlight this year's men's soccer campaign.
BIG WEST AT A GLANCE
• Cal State Northridge wrapped up a solid 2012 season with a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat in double overtime to San Diego in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. CSUN finished the campaign 15-7-0, with the 15 wins matching the 2005 squad for most in the school’s Division I history.
• The Matadors, which won the Big West South Division and Tournament championships, entered the national rankings for the first time since the 2009 season. CSUN went into the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 25 in the NSCAA poll and No. 27 by College Soccer News. The Matadors reached as high as No. 14 in Soccer America at one point when they enjoyed a stretch of eight wins in nine games.
• The Big West’s streak of at least one NCAA Tournament victory in 11 straight seasons came to an end with CSUN’s first round loss to San Diego.
• Senior goalkeeper Michael Abalos joined the Big West career record book in several categories. He finished his stint at Cal State Northridge ranked No. 9 in saves (268) and shutouts (22), No. 4 in minutes played (6,609) and matches in goal (73), and tied for sixth in goalie wins (30).
• CSUN sophomore Sagi Lev-Ari was the first Matador to lead the Big West in goals since Willie Sims netted 16 in 2004. Lev-Ari, who scored the game-winning goals in the Big West Tournament semifinals and finals, totalled 15 strikes in 2012. He discovered a knack for the dramatic too as his seven game-winning goals tied for second all-time in a Big West single-season.
• UC Davis claimed the program’s first Big West championship in its sixth season of conference membership. The Aggies won the Big West North Division with a 7-3 mark after allowing a mere seven goals over their final nine league contests. UCD hit the double-digit mark in wins for the third time – but first since 2008 – after an overall showing of 10-7-4.
• Equalling the school record for most victories as a member of Division I, Cal Poly finished 11-7-1 and challenged for the North Division title. The Mustangs equalled the 1995, 1998, 2007 and 2008 squads with 11 wins. Junior forward Mackenzie Pridham, Cal Poly’s first Big West Offensive Player of the Year, became only the fourth individual in school history to reach double figures in goals as he finished with 11.
• UC Riverside set a school Division I era record for most victories in a season with 10. The Highlanders started out the season on a seven-game winning streak, but tailed off from there with three wins in their next 11 matches.
• Although UC Irvine missed the Big West Tournament for the first time in five tries and had a down year (5-14-1) by all accounts, the record was misleading. The Anteaters lost five overtime games – including three in double overtime – and lost 2-1 battles against No. 14 UCLA and No. 14 Louisville when both foes scored in the last five minutes of regulation.