Nov. 27, 2006

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The NCAA men's soccer semifinal match between UC Santa Barbara and Wake Forest, scheduled for Friday, Dec. 1 in St. Louis, will kick-off at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time, or 45 minutes following the completion of the first semifinal match, it was announced today.

The match between the Gauchos and Demon Deacons will be preceded by the other semifinal game between UCLA and Virginia.

In addition, UCSB will be hosting a reception for all of its alumni and boosters at the Busch Student Center on the Saint Louis University campus, across from Robert R. Hermann Stadium, the where the matches will be played. The reception will run from 6:00-7:00 p.m. in rooms 352 and 353 of the Busch Student Center.

"We are very excited about the Gauchos' second College Cup appearance in the last three years," said UCSB Athletics Director Gary Cunningham. "We want to give our alumni and fans who plan to attend the event an opportunity to share in the excitement and get ready for a great match."

UCSB has advanced to its second College Cup in three years with four straight NCAA Tournament wins. On Nov. 11, the Gauchos hosted San Diego State and posted a 2-1 win. On Nov. 15, UCSB shocked top-ranked and third-seeded SMU, in Dallas, 3-1. Santa Barbara remained on the road, traveling from Dallas to Norfolk, Va., where it edged Old Dominion, 2-1, on Nov. 18. On Saturday, Nov. 25, the Gauchos returned home to host Northwestern in an NCAA quarterfinal match and after falling behind 2-1 at half, defeated the Wildcats 3-2.

UCSB enters the College Cup with an overall record of 16-7-0, but it has won nine of the last 10 matches.

Friday's match against Wake Forest will be broadcast live in Santa Barbara on KCSB, 91.9-FM. The contest will be televised on a tape-delay basis by ESPN 2 on Saturday morning.