UC Santa Barbara freshman C.J. Cintas became perhaps the first from Hawai'i to be a part of a men's Division I soccer national championship this past weekend.

"It was surreal, really," Cintas said. "It's still not hitting me.

"It's incredible. It's the best players from around the nation in college, going head to head, it was really fun to watch."

UCSB defeated UCLA, 2-1, Sunday to win its first national title in soccer.

Cintas, a 2006 Hawai'i Prep graduate, did not play in the title game but did make the trip. He played in three games this season: against San Diego State, Cal State Northridge and Westmont.

"It's a start, I guess," Cintas said. "I look forward to building my team's confidence in me up so I can get more playing time next year."

But Cintas, an Advertiser All-State first-team selection in 2006, said he doesn't regret his choice to play for the Gauchos, even if he didn't see much action.

"I've thought about it, and if I went to this or that place, I totally could have played more," Cintas said. "But I've learned so much from not playing and practicing with this team. I wouldn't trade it at all."

The Gauchos turned their season around after a 7-6 start.

"That game we lost against UC Irvine, the bus ended breaking down, so it was like everybody gave up on us," Cintas said. "Then we made a run. The night before the UCLA game, coach told us everything is against us. We have at least 8,000 fans watching and listening, and it kind of got our team up for the game."

MORE MEN'S SOCCER