Records are made to be broken, and the 2002 UCSB men’s soccer team broke its fair share in a 5-0 thrashing of the University of California, Irvine on Saturday night at Harder Stadium.

The win was the 17th of the year for the Gauchos, besting the previous record of 16 set in 1982. Santa Barbara also went undefeated at home and in Big West play for the first time since 1983.

“We were 2-17 my first year coaching and to turn it around in four years is incredible,” UCSB Head Coach Tim Vom Steeg said. “I guess it was the four-year plan.”

Records continued falling throughout the unusually special Senior Night. Junior midfielder Memo Arzate set a Gaucho team record for assists in a season with his 18th, surpassing Eric Price’s 1982 record.

“We knew Memo was very good, but no one thought Memo would be this good,” Vom Steeg said.

In what was his last regular-season game at Harder Stadium, senior forward Rob Friend capped off his record- setting career with two goals on the night, setting a new team record of 19 goals on the season. Scott Grassinger set the previous record in 1982. The record-setting goal did not come easy for Friend, as the Anteater defense and goalkeeper were doing everything in their power to not give up the goal.

“It felt like a huge weight off of my shoulders,” Friend said of the record-breaking goal at the 79:00 mark of the second half. “My teammates kept feeding me the ball, and the goalie kept coming up big, but my teammates told me to stay patient.”

The Anteaters (8-8-4, 3-4-3 in the Big West) started the game strong, controlling the tempo for the first fifteen minutes of the contest before Santa Barbara took control.

“We were playing a team that had nothing to lose,” Vom Steeg said. “They came out in a 4-5-1, and it wasn’t something we’ve seen much of, so it was confusing at the beginning, but after fifteen minutes we sorted it out.”

As seniors Friend, defender Brandon Meeks and midfielder Dan Young said goodbye on Senior Night, sophomore forward Drew McAthy showed that the Big West champions are in good hands for years to come.

The Gauchos (17-2-1, 9-0-1) got on the board first when McAthy scored the first of his two goals at 20:26 with an assist from sophomore midfielder Jon Apilado. After a Friend goal made the score 2-0, McAthy scored his second goal only seven minutes later, assisted again by Apilado. McAthy finished the season with 16 goals, the third-highest of all time for goals scored in a single season by a Gaucho.

“We can attack from so many positions,” McAthy said. “I try to take advantage of the opportunities my teammates give me.”

Junior midfielder David McGill scored the fourth goal in a fourteen-minute span for the Gauchos at 34:16. Sophomore forward Matt Bly assisted on the goal as UCSB went into halftime with a commanding 4-0 lead.

Coming out for the second half, it was apparent that Santa Barbara had one goal in mind: to get Friend his record-breaker. Finally, with 11 minutes remaining in the game, Friend’s moment finally arrived.

“Gil worked his tail off to get Rob the ball,” Vom Steeg said. “It’s great for Rob. He’s very deserving of this record.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Danny Kennedy and freshman goalie Kyle Reynish each played a half and combined on the ninth shutout of the season for the Gauchos. Santa Barbara shut out its opponent for the third game in a row and has not allowed more than two goals in any game since the first game of the year.

“We’re peaking at the right time,” Kennedy said. “[The defense] is getting used to playing with each other, and they are going to help us in the playoffs.”

After a record-setting season, Santa Barbara now must wait until this afternoon for the NCAA Tournament selection show for its playoff seeding. The team will watch the selection show at the Santa Barbara Brewing Company downtown.