Nov. 18, 2002

USD will play their first round match on the road this coming Saturday, November 23rd in a 7:00 p.m. contest at No. 14 UC Santa Barbara (Harder Stadium).The Gauchos won their second straight Big West Conference championship and have an overall record of 17-2-1. The winner will advance to the second round to take on California (13-5-2) in Berkeley on Wednesday, November 27th.

The Toreros, under the direction of 24th-year head coach Seamus McFadden, are making their fifth straight trip to the NCAA Post-season, and tenth trip since 1990. This season the Toreros finished with an overall record of 14-5 and 3-3 in the competitive West Coast Conference. USD's top five scorers this season include senior forward Ryan Coiner (14 goals, 37 points), junior midfielder Eric Wunderle (7 goals, 19 points), senior forward Tyler Conley (6 goals, 19 points), junior midfielder Matt McCausland (5 goals, 17 points) and junior midfielder Scott Burcar (8 assists, 12 points). Senior goalie Parker Jarvis has appeared in 14 matches and owns a 0.70 goals-against average to go with his 7-2 record (5 shutouts).

The UCSB Gauchos closed out their season with six straight wins and are 17-2-1 overall. This is the men's soccer program's first ever trip to the postseason. They won the Big West Conference for the second straight season with a 9-0-1 mark, and this year they were a perfect 9-0 at Harder Stadium. Eight of their wins were by shutout, including their final three matches of the season - 3-0 over UC Riverside, 2-0 over CS Fullerton and 5-0 against UC Irvine. The Gauchos are paced by senior forward Rob Friend (19 goals, 42 points), sophomore forward Drew McAthy (16 goals, 34 points), and junior midfielder Memo Arzate (4 goals, 18 assists). Head Coach Tim Vom Steeg is completing his fourth season at the helm of the Gaucho program.

Tickets for the event will be $8 for general admission, and $5 for students with school ID and kids.