After senior defender Peter McGlynn pushed down a referee at the conclusion of the UCSB men’s soccer game against UC Davis Sunday, UCSB Athletic Director Mark Massari announced today that McGlynn has been removed from the team.

The incident began with the Gauchos believing sophomore keeper Austin Mansker was fouled on the play that led to the Aggies golden goal in a must-win game that nearly eliminated Santa Barbara from the Big West playoffs.

Players and Head Coach Tim Vom Steeg unsuccessfully begged the ref for a call. As most players were walking away, McGlynn gave the referee a two handed shove on his back and the ref fell to the gound.

The referee suffered no injuries, according to Vom Steeg, and decided not to press charges, although according to USA Today, the police recommended he press charges.

In UCSB’s press release today, it was reported that Vom Steeg has also been suspended for Wednesday’s game against Sacramento State.

In addition, the press release stated that no matter the result of the Gauchos next two games, UCSB will forego any playoff activity. Santa Barbara currently sits six points out of playoff contention, but was not completely out of the playoffs. If UCSB had won its last two home games against Sacramento State and Cal Poly, and Davis won its last two games against the same opponents, the Gauchos would have tied Sacramento State for second place. In that scenario, UCSB would own the tie-breaker with a 2-0 series advantage.

Nevertheless, with playoffs no longer an option, this year marks the first time in 11 years where UCSB will not participate in the NCAA Tournament.

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