# 2006 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer team

The 2006 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer team represented the University of California, Santa Barbara during the 2006 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. It was the 41st season of the team fielding a varsity college soccer team, and their 24th season playing in the Big West Conference.
The season was highlighted by the Gauchos winning their first NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship, in which they won the final against UCLA Bruins in the final in St. Louis. It was the first season since 1989 that a team from a mid-major conference won the NCAA Championship, a feat that would not be accomplished until the University of Akron did so in 2010.

## Background

Following a debut College Cup run in 2004, the Gauchos had a relative slump in 2005, finishing with a 13–5–3 overall record, and a 7–1–2 Big West record, good enough for second in the conference. The Gauchos finished the season ranked 23rd in the nation. Despite not winning the Big West championship, UCSB earned an at-large berth into the 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship, where they advanced to the second round, before losing 3–2 to conference rival, Cal State Northridge.

## Review

Before the start of preseason, UCSB defender and two-time All-American, Andy Iro was named to the Hermann Trophy watch list. Iro was also the reigning Big West Defensive Player of the Year. Additionally, the squad entered the season ranked 21st in the nation, and was composed of the 22nd strongest recruiting class. The recruiting class featured future MLS all-stars including Eric Avila and Chris Pontius. In the Big West preseason coaches poll, UCSB was picked to win the conference title.
Ahead of the 2006 regular season, the Gauchos played Westmont College for the 42nd Annual Bryant and Sons Cup, a pre-season friendly that pits the two Santa Barbara universities against each other in a soccer match. Played in front of 1,000 spectators at Harder Stadium, the Gauchos emerged victorious, with a 6–0 victory over the Warriors. Bongomin Otti netted a hat trick in the match while Bryan Byrne netted two goals. Nick Perera added a goal in the 90th minute to cap off the result.
The regular season began with a cross-country flight to Virginia, where the Gauchos participated in the UVA Soccer Classic in Charlottesville, Virginia. Their opening game was against the seventh-ranked Akron Zips, where they won in a convincing 5–0 victory. Otii and Avila both netted two goals for the Gauchos, along with a single goal from Tino Nuñez.

## Roster

Final 2006 roster.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | USA | Kyle Reynish |
| 2 | DF | USA | Jeff Murphy |
| 3 | MF | USA | David Walker |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Andy Iro |
| 5 | MF | USA | Jon Curry |
| 6 | DF | USA | Greg Curry |
| 7 | MF | IRL | Bryan Byrne |
| 8 | FW | USA | Paul Kierstead |
| 9 | FW | USA | Tino Nuñez |
| 10 | MF | CAN | Tyler Rosenlund |
| 11 | MF | USA | Alfonso Motagalvan |
| 12 | MF | GHA | Eric Frimpong |
| 13 | MF | USA | Chris Pontius |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 14 | FW | ESP | Nick Perera |
| 15 | MF | USA | Eric Avila |
| 16 | MF | USA | Evan Patterson |
| 17 | MF | USA | Brennan Tennelle |
| 18 | DF | USA | Kyle Kaveny |
| 19 | FW | CAN | Andrew Proctor |
| 20 | FW | USA | Bongomin Otii |
| 22 | GK | USA | Bryant Rueckner |
| 23 | FW | USA | Tony Chinakwe |
| 24 | GK | USA | Jason Badger |
| 25 | MF | USA | Jordan Kaplan |
| 28 | MF | USA | Drew Gleason |
| 29 | MF | USA | C.J. Cintas |
| 30 | FW | USA | Guillermo Jalomo |

## Schedule

| Date Time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site City, State |
| Exhibition ||||||
| 08-19-2006* 7:00 pm | No. 21 | Westmont Bryant & Sons Cup | W 6–0 | | Harder Stadium (1,062) Santa Barbara, CA |
| Regular season ||||||
| 08-25-2006* 4:00 pm | No. 21 | vs. No. 7 Akron UVA Soccer Classic | W 5–0 | 1–0–0 | Klöckner Stadium (49) Charlottesville, VA |
| 08-27-2006* 1:00 pm | No. 21 | at No. 3 Virginia UVA Soccer Classic | L 0–1 | 1–1–0 | Klöckner Stadium (2,640) Charlottesville, VA |
| 09-02-2006* 7:00 pm | No. 9 | No. 21 San Diego State | W 1–0 | 2–1–0 | Harder Stadium (1,021) Santa Barbara, CA |
| 09-05-2006 7:00 pm | No. 7 | Cal Poly Blue–Green Rivalry | W 1–0 | 3–1–0 (1–0–0) | Harder Stadium (924) Santa Barbara, CA |
| 09-08-2006* 7:30 pm | No. 7 | No. 18 UIC | L 1–2 | 3–2–0 | Harder Stadium (856) Santa Barbara, CA |
| 09-15-2006* 7:30 pm | No. 14 | Loyola Marymount | W 1–0 | 4–2–0 | Harder Stadium (2,158) Santa Barbara, CA |
| 09-21-2006 8:00 pm | No. 12 | at Cal State Fullerton | W 2–1 | 5–2–0 (2–0–0) | Titan Stadium (802) Fullerton, CA |
| 09-23-2006* 7:00 pm | No. 12 | at UC Davis | L 0–1 | 5–3–0 | Aggie Field (780) Davis, CA |
| 09-27-2006 7:00 pm | No. 19 | at Cal State Northridge | L 0–5 | 5–4–0 (2–1–0) | Performance Field (521) Northridge, CA |
| 09-30-2006* 7:00 pm | No. 19 | Michigan | W 1–0 $^{2OT}$ | 6–4–0 | Harder Stadium (3,577) Santa Barbara, CA |
| 10-05-2006* 7:00 pm | | No. 7 UCLA UCLA rivalry | L 1–3 | 6–5–0 | Harder Stadium (5,475) Santa Barbara, CA |
| 10-07-2006 7:00 pm | | No. 15 UC Irvine | W 2–0 | 7–5–0 (3–1–0) | Harder Stadium (2,367) Santa Barbara, CA |
| 10-11-2006 7:00 pm | | at UC Riverside | L 0–1 | 7–6–0 (3–2–0) | UC Riverside Soccer Stadium (576) Riverside, CA |
| 10-14-2006 7:00 pm | | at Cal Poly | W 2–0 | 8–6–0 (4–2–0) | Alex G. Spanos Stadium (1,123) San Luis Obispo, CA |
| 10-18-2006* 7:30 pm | | UC Davis | W 1–0 | 9–6–0 | Harder Stadium (1,061) Santa Barbara, CA |
| 10-21-2006 7:30 pm | | Cal State Fullerton | W 1–0 | 10–6–0 (5–2–0) | Harder Stadium (1,447) Santa Barbara, CA |
| 10-25-2006 7:30 pm | | Cal State Northridge | W 1–0 | 11–6–0 (6–2–0) | Harder Stadium (2,434) Santa Barbara, CA |
| 11-01-2006 7:30 pm | No. 25 | at No. 18 UC Irvine | L 0–2 | 11–7–0 (6–3–0) | Anteater Stadium (1,561) Irvine, CA |
| 11-04-2006 7:00 pm | No. 25 | UC Riverside | W 4–0 | 12–7–0 (7–3–0) | Harder Stadium (1,647) Santa Barbara, CA |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| 11-11-2006* 1:00 pm | No. 17 | San Diego State First Round | W 2–1 | 13–7–0 | Harder Stadium (2,356) Santa Barbara, CA |
| 11-15-2006* 5:00 pm | No. 17 | at (3) No. 1 SMU Second Round | W 3–1 | 14–7–0 | Westcott Field (1,012) Dallas, TX |
| 11-18-2006* 4:00 pm | No. 17 | at No. 20 Old Dominion Third Round | W 2–1 | 15–7–0 | ODU Soccer Complex (1,481) Norfolk, VA |
| 11-25-2006* 7:00 pm | No. 17 | at Northwestern Quarterfinals | W 2–1 | 16–7–0 | Harder Stadium (8,784) Santa Barbara, CA |
| NCAA College Cup ||||||
| 12-02-2006* 11:30 am, ESPNU | No. 17 | vs. (2) No. 2 Wake Forest Semifinals | T 0–0 W 4–3 PK $^{2OT}$ | 16–7–1 | Hermann Stadium (6,314) St. Louis, MO |
| 12-03-2006* 12:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 17 | vs. (8) No. 22 UCLA National Championship | W 2–1 | 17–7–1 | Hermann Stadium (5,948) St. Louis, MO |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from United Soccer Coaches. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ||||||