Men's Soccer Season Preview: Vaqueros Ready to Go with 6 All-WSC Returners

SANTA BARBARA, CA – The SBCC men's soccer team made its fourth consecutive SoCal Regionals appearance last year, posting a 12-6-3 overall record while finishing second in the WSC-North at 6-3-1.

The Vaqueros were nearly unbeatable at home, dropping just one of their 11 matches on the new field at La Playa Stadium while claiming nine wins. Their offense flowed much better on their home turf, where they found the back of the net an average of 3.18 times a night, more than double their 1.50 away goal average.

The 2022 squad returns six of its 10 All-Conference players from last year, including All-State talent Bart Muns, who led the Western State Conference with 17 goals, seven game-winners and 40 points in just 18 appearances.

The Holland native provided danger for defenses every moment he was on the field. His best stretch came in four straight wins from Sept. 24 to Oct. 12, when he scored six goals in four games to give the Vaqueros their longest win streak of the year. A hat trick late in the season sealed his claim of the WSC-North Offensive Player of the Year award, becoming just the second Vaquero to do so since 2014.

Also returning to the team this year are fellow All-WSC selections Joep Wouters Van den Oudenweijer, Will Demirkol, Stanley Nash, Sam Pinto and Jake Dunn, giving the Vaqueros a good balance of experience in each third.

Heading the team for his 16th season is head coach John Sisterson, alongside returning assistant coaches Matt Wilkinson and Alex Zermeno. Sisterson has won WSC Coach of the Year three times on the men's side, most recently in 2017 when SBCC was last crowned WSC-North champs and finished fifth at the state championships.

The Vaqueros kick things off on Friday, Aug. 26 in a 7:00 p.m. season-opener against LA Harbor. A live stream and live stats will be provided.