Men's Soccer Saturday Preview # 8 UCSB vs. UC Davis

Men's Soccer Saturday Preview # 8 UCSB vs. UC Davis

UCSB

 UCSB is currently ranked #8 in the country. As if this weren't impressive enough they also have 5 players listed on Top Drawer Soccer's top 100 upperclassmen and perhaps the biggest statement is that UCSB is now the proud home of Top Drawer Soccer's #1 ranked freshman in the country, Ema Boateng! While Boateng may only have a tally of two goals in his first collegiate season (thus far) he had two of the most impressive goals seen in years. Ema bent a beautiful ball over the San Diego keeper in what would mimic the stylings of Beckham. Ema then dashed across 60 yards, outrunning UCLA's defenders (all of which had almost a foot on him) and slid the cross effortlessly around the goalie and let it roll slowly into the net as he scored the only goal UCSB would be able to against #6 UCLA. We can look forward to the likely return of midfielder Machael David and hope that Achille is fit enough to play against Cal Poly this coming Friday.

UC Davis

 UC Davis( compiling a an impressive 3-1-0 record thus far in conference play) hopes to find the strategy to overcome what may be their most difficult opponent of the year. While UC Davis may only have a few individually ranked players they know that opinion pieces are not everything and that it only takes the ability to win in order to change foreign perceptions. UC Davis will not only garner a large point advantage over UCSB and Cal Poly in the event of an upset but they will also make the possibility for a run at the College Cup a very real one as they will be more securely positioned in the top two of the northern division.

Conclusion

 This Saturday UCSB will take on unranked UC Davis. While UC Davis may be underwhelming on paper they are quite a worthy opponent. They have really picked up their play and found an effective communication which has allowed them to win the last three games in a row. UCSB, hoping to bounce back from its first loss of the season on Sunday will play with a swollen vein on their foreheads as they give it their all in order to avoid further complications on the road to the top.