University of California - Santa Barbara : 2006 NCAA Men's Soccer Champions!

Congratulations to the Gauchos of Santa Barbara, they stormed through the NCAA Men's Soccer tournament like a top ranked team, only they were unseeded. It shouldn't be surprising that UCSB made it deep into the tourney despite their disappointing season. After all, they were here two years ago, however they were ranked as a top team in 2004. This time around they knocked off the #2 and #3 teams to eventually beat the #8 UCLA Bruins.

The Gauchos learned from other's mistakes and they didn't give star attackers Sal Zizzo, Kyle Nakazawa, Jason Leopoldo or David Estrada any room to operate. When any of the Bruins attackers touched the ball there were two guys there or a hard foul coming. UCSB used brute force to subdue their Southern California rivals.

Well folks, this season was a fun one and an exciting tournament capped it off. The ACC is no doubt scratching their head wondering how such dominance during the regular season could not provide a National Championship. A lot of the kids we've been talking about will be throwing their hat into the MLS draft ring, and it will be exciting to see where these young stars of tomorrow end up when the dust settles next March.