IRVINE, Calif. --- Ten years ago, UC Irvine men's soccer made a statement.

Two years removed from a 2006 season that saw the squad set a new single-season high with 13 wins, and through 12 matches in 40th season of the Big West Conference of 2008, the boys were rolling to an 8-1-3 mark. The Anteaters had just been victimized by UC Santa Barbara for its first loss of the season, but would have the last laugh finishing out the regular season with a 5-1-4 mark in Big West play edging out Cal Poly and UCSB by one point to secure the program's first-ever Big West Conference title.

The 2008 soccer season added a new wrinkle as well, the first conference tournament following the regular season, and it set up a final battle with the Anteaters and Gauchos in front of 1,832 fans in Anteater Stadium, at that time the largest crowd for a UC Irvine soccer match. The result was a 4-2 drubbing of the Gauchos behind two goals from Rafael "Pollo" Macedo and a goal and two assists from Amani Walker to bring the first Big West Tournament title to the Anteaters.

"We beat UCSB at home and the crowd rushed the field. That had to be the first time we had the crowd rush that field!" noted Andrew Fontein, a freshman goalkeeper on that squad that who was awarded MVP of that tournament.

The win was also the 14th of the season setting a new program high for a season, and the reward was another first for the program - a first trip to the NCAA Tournament - as they were slotted as the No. 14 National Seed in the bracket earning a first round bye before getting its first action against a familiar face in the second round, Cal Poly. The 'Eaters packed the house in its first-ever NCAA match, a sold out crowd of 2,500 fans in Anteater Stadium, After a scoreless first half, UCI erupted on the back of Irving Garcia goals in the 59th and 71st minutes topped off by Pollo's 74th-minute strike to put away the 3-0 win an open UC Irvine NCAA account in style.

The postseason journey sent the Anteaters next all the way across the country locking horns with the No. 3 national seed, St. John's. The Anteaters scored first, Irving Garcia feeding Amani Walker in the 14th minute. Entering halftime, the squads were tied at 1-1, and St. John's would use the momentum to surge ahead 3-1 in the 83rd minute. The 'Eaters would not shy away as Walker would find Garcia this time for a spectacular half-volley to reel the Johnnies back in, now down 3-2 in the 85th minute. The frigid match would end, however, as St. John's hung on to their 3-2 advantage knocking UC Irvine out with just its second loss of the campaign.

The 'Eaters finished 2008 with a record of 15-2-6. The 15 wins would since be surpassed by the 2014 squad that won 16 times, but the two losses remain the lowest mark in program history.

The trip to the big dance and the third round was a foundation for the next ten years of Anteater programs. Since then, the 'Eaters have reached the NCAA Tournament four more times and climbed into the third round twice more including posting wins over powers like North Carolina and an upset of No. 1 Stanford along the way. The 'Eaters have won the Big West regular season title three more times since 2008 and remain undefeated in Big West Tournament title matches led by wins in 2009, 2011, and 2013.

The 2008 squad flew onto the scene putting UC Irvine square on the collegiate soccer map, and now in on the 50th Anniversary of Big West Conference sports, it continues to spread for much of the 2008 Anteater class:

Andrew Fontein had a magical freshman season in 2008 playing in 20 matches where he went 11-2-5 with 5 shutouts and 73 saves to earn co-Big West Freshman of the Year along with Big West Tournament MVP honors. Fontein built that into an Anteater record 50 wins over his 73 career matches culminating in Big West Goalkeeper of the Year in 2011, and is the Big West's leader having earned player of the week honors seven times. He was chosen by the Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the MLS SuperDraft and landed with the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Minnesota United FC of the NASL. Following his soccer career, he moved to New Zealand to work on a winery while also obtaining his Master's in Hotel Administration at UNLV. In the coming weeks, he will be returning to New Zealand to help in the process of the construction of a hotel that will open soon with him as the General Manager

Matt Murphy led the charge in 2008 although he wasn't part of the NCAA Tournament scoring. He finished with 11 goals, 8 assists, 4 game-winners, and 30 points which all ranked third in the conference in his senior season. He stands as the program's all-time leader with 85 points, 33 goals, and 11 game-winning goals after his 76 career matches where he was named All-Big West three times, All-Far West Region twice, and was the 2006 Big West Midfielder of the Year. After his collegiate playing days, he turned to the business world where he is now a Senior Financial Consultant for TD Ameritrade.

Norby Rodriguez was a freshman in 2008 where he contributed a goal in 11 matches. The utility man's goal leg was utilized on many free kicks and corner kicks throughout his 43 matches as an Anteater, and he would finish with 2 goals and 3 assists before graduating in 2011. He got into coaching back in his home in Ventura County both on the club level for Real So Cal and collegiately with Cal Lutheran University. Aside from soccer, he's also picked up golf while playing local soccer leagues. He's put in time with the Conejo Valley Unified School District as an Interpreter, and now is going on five years with Mazda back down in Irvine where he is their Social Media Manager

Spencer Thompson was a key component to the 2008 squad which included 8 goals, 3 game-winners, and 6 assists in his 22 matches played. He would serve up 25 goals, 9 game-winners, third-most in program history, and 17 assists in his 78 matches with the Anteaters. He was named All-Big West in 2008, became an Academic All-District VIII team member, and was placed on the MAC Hermann Watch List prior to his senior season in 2011, and then the Portland Timbers came calling drafting him No. 2 overall in the MLS Supplemental Draft.

Brett Berman was a specialist in the midfield in 2008 playing 20 matches and scoring once, a game-winner against Bakersfield. He finished with 4 goals and 5 assists over a 52-match career. Since then, he's made strides in the tech industry as the co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Hooked, an app touted as the No. 1 College food, drink, and lifestyle app. The success has taken him to SXSW as a Startup Panelist and Mentor as well as a Guest Lecturer at the Ross School of Business on the University of Michigan.

Corey Attaway made 17 starts as a sophomore attacker in 2008 with no points to show for it, but he would finish his career strong with 7 goals, 3 game-winners, and 4 assists in 71 career matches earning All-Big West honors twice and All-Far West Region recognition in a senior. Attaway was selected in 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft right behind Thompson and Amani Walker by the Seattle Sounders FC, and rode that out until heading to law school. In 2015, Attaway graduated with a law degree from UC Hastings in San Francisco where he now resides along with his wife, Jenn, and their dog, Gunner. He is an associate at the law firm of Latham & Watkins.

Rafael Macedo, or "Pollo" as he was known, finished his senior year of 2008 with 5 goals, including his NCAA finisher against Cal Poly, along with a pair of assists. The midfielder played in 73 matches as an Anteater including all 23 that season finishing out with 7 goals, 2 game-winners, and 7 assists.

Shane Westbrook appeared in 15 matches during his senior campaign, 13 as a starter, appearing in 39 matches total as an Anteater with 2 goals and 5 assists.

Victor Chinchilla was a redshirt in his junior season of 2008, but shone the next year appearing in 12 matches putting up a 7-4-0 record with 2 shutouts saving 39 shots in net

Brett Faggioni made two appearances as a freshman in his only season as an Anteater, one of which was the NCAA Second Round win in Anteater Stadium over Cal Poly. Faggioni was on to other meaningful endeavors graduating from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona in 2013 with his Master's in Medical Sciences and adding a Doctorate in Dental Medicine in 2017. He is now a dentist in Las Vegas, Nevada, and on top of it co-owns The New You 6 Week Challenge, a marketing company responsible for helping over 300,000 people achieve their health and fitness goals.

Zlatan Kuckovic was a sophomore in 2008 appearing in four matches with one start which included an appearance in the NCAA Second Round victory over Cal Poly. Over his 20-match career at UC Irvine, he scored twice. Nowadays, Kuckovic has his hands in Pharmaceutical Sales.

J.T. Terrazas joined the program in 2006 and redshirted during the 2008 season. Over his Anteater career, he played in 27 matches with both of his career goals accounting for game-winners while adding as assist on as well

Kevin Santora finished his career with the second-most matches played at 84 and starts at 79 which included 22 and 20, respectively, during his junior season 2008. He scored twice and assisted on three others, and finished out his career with 24 points on 6 goals and 12 assists. Kevin graduated from UC Irvine with an economics degree, and his family was an integral part of the addition of the Santora Elite Training Center that stands on the athletic facility helping all UCI student-athletes perform and maintain their winning edge

Amani Walker had a successful sophomore campaign with 4 goals and 5 assists playing in all 23 matches in 2008. He finished with 85 career matches which leads the Anteaters all-time, and picked up Big West Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2010 in addition to All-Far West Region status. The awards continued on to the MLS Supplemental Draft where the Chicago Fire took him in the first round. The Jamaican footballer spent time in the NASL with Minnesota Stars FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies helping to win an NASL title before scooting to the USL to play for the OC Blues FC. He now is playing for Albion SC Pro SD where he's scored 28 goals in two years earning the USL PDL Golden Boot for the club.

Irving Garcia played two magnificent years at UC Irvine scoring 15 times in 45 matches including 7 in 2008 with 9 assists. He's among the top 10 in Anteater single season goals, assists, and points, and his five game-winning goals in 2009 still stands as the top mark. He was twice First Team All-Big West, Big West Offensive Player of the Year in 2009, and even named an All-American boosting him to a draft selection by the New York Red Bulls in the fourth round. Irving bounced around a lot on the professional level playing a few U.S. Open Cup matches with NYRB before jetting to Guatemala to player with Antigua FC. Garcia is still playing to this day following stints with Rosario FC in Guatemala, back to the U.S. with Portland Timbers II, and now on loan from them back to Guatemala where he's in his second season with Suchitepequez where he played four matches with the squad last season.

David Sias was named Big West Defender of the Year in 2008, and led the charge of Anteaters drafted as the senior was taken after the season in the third round of the MLS SuperDraft by the Chicago Fire. He would go on to play for a season for the Austin Aztex of the USL PDL. He played 74 matches during his Anteater career including 22 starts in 2008, and even came back to help as a volunteer assistant coach during the 2014 season.

Joel Bagby redshirted during the 2008 season as a sophomore, but finished 4 goals and 2 assists during his 45 matches played from 2007-10. He now works as a Product Line Manager for Global Football at Nike in Oregon.

Carlos Aguilar showed up as a transfer in 2008 and played in every match scoring three times and assisting on three. He finished his career with 45 matches played including a senior season where he scored six times and added 7 assists en route to All-Big West First Team honors and being named MVP of the 2009 Big West Tournament. Aguilar played briefly professionally for USSF D-2 side Rochester Rhinos before returning to UCI as a volunteer assistant coach for three seasons. He's now joined with rival Cal State Fullerton in his fifth year as an assistant coach with the Titans.

Kyle Schmid made all 23 starts on the backline for the 'Eaters in 2008 assisting on one goal. It was the only point of his 55 career matches as he commanded the backline with Kurt Schmid alongside him as a coach adding All-Big West Second Team to his resume. He has entered the coaching ranks as an assistant now at Loyola Marymount.

Jimmy Turner played 19 matches in 2008, starting 11 times, in what was his freshman season. He continued on to 2011 playing a total of 82 matches as an Anteater with 3 goals, 1 game-winner, and 6 assists. He continued playing after graduating from UC Irvine, some with OC Blues FC along with other SoCal squads

Pat Barton was in goal for 15 matches in 2007 where he was a Big West Player of the Week, and began the year as the team's main keeper in 2008 before Fontein stepped in. Barton finished his two seasons as an 'Eater with a 9-3-4 record, 4 shutouts, and 61 saves in 19 matches in goal

Everett Pitts redshirted as a freshman in 2008, but went on to 65 matches with UC Irvine topped by All-Big West accolades as a senior

Michael Willrich played all 23 matches in that 2008 season putting forth a goal, a game-winner at USD, and an assist. He played 31 matches over his two years at UC Irvine with adding one other goal to his total

Gray Bailey started all 23 matches, part of 73 matches played for the Anteaters, and his lone goal counted as the game-winner in the regular season finale over UC Santa Barbara. He finished with All-Big West honors in that his sophomore year, and totaled 7 goals and 6 assists in his Anteater career

The 2008 roster was rounded out by Indar Smith (10 matches, 1 start), Stephen Carveth (1 match), Eric Shuffle (2 matches, Luke Van Patten (2 matches, 1 start), and redshirts Elmer Avelar, Diego Hernandez, Syd Tom, Navid Torabian, and D.J. Vigil