Oct. 26, 2004

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The Schedule
Match No. 18
Friday, October 29, 2004 at 1:00 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos at University of Idaho Vandals
at Idaho's Wicks Field

Match No. 19
Sunday, October 31, 2004 at 11:00 a.m. (PST)
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos at Utah State Aggies
at Utah State's Bell Field

UCSB Clinches Big West Tournament Berth
UC Santa Barbara, which is tied for first in the Big West Conference with Cal State Fullerton, has assured itself a berth in the 2004 league tournament. The Gauchos and Titans each have 16 points in the league standings and are the only teams assured of tournament berths entering the final weekend of the regular season. UCSB will travel to Idaho on Friday and Utah State on Sunday. Cal State Northridge is currently in third-place with 15 points and need only to tie with Pacific to clinch a berth. Although they are currently in a tie for first, the Gauchos could be seeded in any of the four tournament slots when the season comes to a close. If UCSB and Cal State Fullerton tie for the regular season crown, the Gauchos would get the top seed because they beat Cal State Fullerton 1-0 on October 8. The Titans travel to UC Irvine and Long Beach State this weekend.

The Gaucho Record
UC Santa Barbara enters the weekend with an overall record of 10-5-2, a 5-1-1 record in the Big West. This past weekend, the Gauchos split their matches, losing a 1-0 decision to Pacific and then winning a 1-0 overtime match against Cal State Northridge. The victory over the Matadors vaulted Santa Barbara into a first-place tie with Cal State Fullerton. Since opening the 2004 season with a 1-3 record, the Gauchos have posted a solid 9-2-2 mark. This marks the fourth straight season in which UCSB has won ten or more games, the first time the program put together four straight double-digit victory seasons since 1988-91.

On The Stumpf
Paul Stumpf is in his sixth season at UC Santa Barbara. He enters the week with a record of 62-41-11. His total of 62 wins ranks second on UCSB's all-time list. He has led the Gauchos to four consecutive seasons of double-figures in wins, the first time the program has accomplished the feat since 1988-91. Last season, he guided UCSB to an 11-6-4 record, and within one game of the Big West Championship. 2003 marked the fourth straight season in which the Gauchos finished at or over the .500 mark, a feat last accomplished more than a decade ago. In 1999, Stumpf's first season as the head coach at UCSB, he took a team that was selected to finish last in the conference, but instead posted an 8-9-1 overall record and a 5-4 mark in the Big West. Following the season, Stumpf was chosen as the Big West's Coach of the Year. Before arriving in Santa Barbara as an assistant coach in 1998, Stumpf spent two seasons as an assistant at Humboldt State. In addition, the San Diego native spent several years coaching club teams in the Santa Rosa area.

On The Defensive
Through the first four matches this season, UCSB had allowed ten goals. In fact, through the first five, the Gauchos had allowed 12 goals. In the last 12 matches, however, Santa Barbara has allowed just five total goals and posted seven shutouts. Gaucho defenders Cinthia Ruiz, Katie Cooper and Jessie Steinberg have played a major part in the team's defensive turnaround, as have goalkeepers Jamie Considine and Catherine Burson. In the last 12 contests, the Gauchos have produced seven shutouts, allowed just five goals, and they have not allowed more than one goal in any match. In fact, over the last 12 contests, a span of 1,139 minutes, UCSB has posted a goals against average of 0.39 and it has lowered its overall goals against average to 0.96 for the season. The defensive unit, which has been so solid in recent weeks, will be without Ruiz for its match at Idaho on Friday. Ruiz was issued a red card in UCSB's 1-0 win over Cal State Northridge on Sunday night and she will not be able to play against the Vandals.

One-Two Punch In Goal
The healthy return of junior goalkeeper Jamie Considine has given Santa Barbara a solid one-two goal keeping punch. After missing three matches because of injury, Considine was back in goal this weekend. In the matches against Pacific and Cal State Northridge, she allowed just one goal and had 11 saves. Considine had seven saves in Sunday's 1-0 overtime victory over Cal State Northridge. On the season, she has now started 11 matches, gone 7-3-1, and has lowered her individual goals against average to 1.09. While she was out for three matches, Considine was ably replaced by freshman Catherine Burson who went 2-0-1 and allowed just one goal in 307 minutes. In a 0-0 double overtime tie with Cal Poly, Burson somehow weathered 40 shots on goal to get the shutout. In her seven total appearances this season, including six starts, Burson has played 599:24 minutes and allowed just four goals for a 0.60 goals against average. She has come-up with 27 saves and three complete shutouts.

No Offense Intended
Just as the defense has taken its game to a higher level, the Gaucho offense has been struggling. When UCSB scored a goal in the second minute of overtime against Cal State Northridge on Sunday, it snapped a streak of 291 minutes without a score. After scoring a total of three goals in wins at Cal State Fullerton and UC Riverside, the Gauchos were blanked in back-to-back outings at Cal Poly (a double overtime tie) and against Pacific. They were also shutout for all of regulation against Cal State Northridge but scored early in the overtime to snap the streak. Overall, UCSB has scored 29 goals this season but just four in the last five matches.

Random Notes
Molly Martin and Nicole Remmenga assisted on the overtime goal by Darci Gwartz in Sunday's win over Cal State Northridge and it was the first point of the season for both. The Gauchos now have 12 different players who have scored at least one point and ten different players who have scored at least one goal. Six UCSB players have two or more goals...UCSB has scored 22 of its 29 goals on the season in the second half and overtime. The Gauchos have not scored a first half goal since a 1-0 win at USF on September 17 and over that span, a total of ten contests, they have scored 13 in the second half and overtime...With a team-leading ten goals on the season, Jennifer Borcich has become just the second player in school history to score ten or more goals in all four of her seasons. She joins four-time All-American and U.S. National Team star Carin Jennings as the only Gauchos to have achieved the feat...UCSB and its opponents have each been awarded 81 corner kicks...The Gauchos have committed 220 fouls on the season, 55 more than their opponents.