This week in Big West men's soccer promises to be one of the busier weeks of the season as games are slated for Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Headling the schedule is the first full slate of conference matchups along with a televised non-conference showdown between top 15 clubs in Indiana and UC Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara.
NOTEWORTHY:
Head Coach Tim Vom Steeg - UCSB
Now in the 11th year at the helm of his alma mater, UC Santa Barbara head coach Tim Vom Steeg is on the verge of a major Big West milestone. With just two more victories, Vom Steeg will be 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, coming into 2009 with 59 wins against Big West foes.
Big West Goes for Seconds on Fox Soccer Channel
One of the premier matchups in the country not only takes place in a Big West venue this weekend, but also live on your TV. Fox Soccer Channel will be live from Meredith Field at Harder Stadium Friday night for the Santa Barbara Challenge Cup between Indiana and UC Santa Barbara, two top 15 sides. The match pits the two clubs that met for the 2004 national championship at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., a game won by the Hoosiers in penalty kicks. The two teams met a year ago in Bloomington, Ind., with the Gauchos claiming an impressive 2-1 victory over the perennial national power.
House of Horrors for UCI
Meredith Field at Harder Stadium is one of the toughest places to play in the country and no team seems to know that more than UC Irvine. Including last Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to UC Santa Barbara, the Anteaters are 3-5-1 since 2001 at Harder Stadium and have lost four of their last five contests at the venue. Furthermore, over UCI's last 43 conference games, the club has been shut out on eight occasions. Four of those shutouts have come against the Gauchos at Harder.
Big West Gets National Respect
Considered one of the toughest leagues in the country, the pollsters have shown their respect for Big West sides this season. Five of the seven Big West clubs (Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara) have appeared in at least one of the polls, two have been ranked in the top 25 all season (UCI, UCSB) and another was listed in the receiving votes section of at least one poll (Cal State Fullerton). Among the BCS conferences that sponsor men's soccer (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10), the Big West fits right in with the big boys as the league is tied with the Big Ten for the highest percentage of clubs having attained a top 25 ranking so far in 2009 (.714).
Who's In Goal?
Cal State Northridge head coach Terry Davila’s main issue heading into the season was who would be the keeper to replace the record setting Kevin Guppy. Nowadays, the question Davila faces is which one of his two rising stars gets the nod between the pipes. Brandon Ibarra started the first four games of the season and posted a 0.75 goals against average, 18 saves and two shutouts. Then he sat out with general soreness only to see Abalos post a 0.95 goals against average, 16 saves and a shutout over the next four matches. With all Wally Pipp references aside, the duo is a big part of the reason why the Matadors lead the Big West in goals allowed (7) and goals against average (0.85).
Enough of the Road
While UC Riverside’s 1-7 start to the 2009 campaign has been rough, the club has had the added burden of playing seven of its first eight contests on the road. In all, the total round trip mileage to and from each of the locales (Sacramento, Moraga, Bakersfield, Las Vegas and Los Angeles) is approximately 1,900 miles. The Highlanders' lone win has come in its only home match to date, a 2-1 victory over San Jose State. From here on out, UCR will be playing in the friendly confines of UCR Soccer Stadium in six of its next 11 contests which includes its Big West opener against Cal State Northridge and a non-conference challenge against UNLV.
Three Aint so Easy After All
From 2003 to 2007, the Big West had at least one player register a hat trick per season, making it almost commonplace to see one. Well suddenly its become a tough feat to accomplish as the league is working on nearly two full calendar years without a player hitting the back of the net thrice. The last player to notch the feat was former UC Santa Barbara scoring star and current MLS Rookie of the Year candidate Chris Pontius, doing it against UC Irvine on October 3, 2007.
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.