SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – On the heels of their major Big West awards on Tuesday, UC Santa Barbara sophomore Danny Barrera and freshman Machael David each received national recognition from TopDrawerSoccer.com on Thursday morning. Barrera was named to the 2009 Men’s College Soccer Third Team of the Season and David was picked to the All Rookie First Team.
 
Barrera, who was picked as the Big West’s Midfielder of the Year, is a sophomore from Thousand Oaks, Calif., and is a driving force for the UCSB offense in just his second season in the blue and gold. Barrera has played and started in all 21 matches for the Gauchos, registering five goals and a team and league-leading eight assists.
 
Barrera showed a flair for the big stage as he collected a goal and an assist against Pittsburgh, a goal and an assist against Indiana and a career-high five-point effort via two goals and an assist against UC Davis.
 
The sophomore picked up several honors throughout the season, including placement on the College Soccer News Team of the Week on Oct. 5 and MVP honors at the 36th Annual Panther Invitational on Sept. 20.
 
David, who was named Big West Freshman of the Year, became a top-notch playmaker for the Gauchos in his first season on the active roster. From his midfield position, the rookie scored a goal and added four assists for six points.
 
David’s first collegiate goal came under the bright lights of a national TV audience as he scored on a breakaway against perennial national power Indiana on Fox Soccer Channel. David also proved to be a solid defender as he was part of a group that has allowed just 16 goals in 21 matches.
 
The Gaucho soccer team will host Wofford, the Southern Conference Champions, at Meredith Field at Harder Stadium tonight; Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. UCSB is making its eighth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.