May 9, 2008

MÖNCHENGLADBACH, Germany - With a 3-0 win over SV Wehen Wednesday evening, former UC Santa Barbara forward Rob Friend and Borussia Mönchengladbach sealed its return to the Bundesliga, the premiere soccer league in Germany and one of the top leagues in all of Europe. Friend, who holds UCSB's all-time record for goals scored in a season, scored in the 67th minute to put Borussia up 2-0.

With two matches remaining Friend leads the squad and ranks second in the league with a total of 15 goals.

A member of the Gauchos in 2001 and 2002, Friend became first player in program history to be drafted by an MLS side when he was selected by the Chicago Fire in the fourth round of the 2003 SuperDraft. The native of Kelowna, B.C. became UCSB's first All-American in 32 years when he received NSCAA and College Soccer News accolades in 2002 after finishing with a school-record 20 goals. Friend helped guide Santa Barbara to its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance that year, where the Gauchos advanced to the second round before losing to Cal 2-1.

Friend led UCSB to an overall record of 29-8-4 and a Big West Conference mark of 16-2-2 in his two seasons in the blue and gold. He ranks fourth on UCSB's all-time scoring charts with 31 career goals and also holds single season records for points (44) and shots (108).