SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Freshman Mallory Hromatko has made a habit of scoring big goals early in her UC Santa Barbara career and none have been bigger than the one she scored in Sunday afternoon's 1-0 win over visiting UC Irvine.

Hromatko scored the game-winner at the 87:37 mark to break a scoreless tie and give the Gauchos (12-4-1 overall, 5-1 in Big West) the win and a spot in the 2015 Big West Tournament. With 15 points in the standings, they will also be guaranteed to enter the final weekend of the regular season tied for first. UCSB also had a sudden death overtime win in the 104th minute on Friday against UC Riverside.

"This was a great weekend for us," said Gauchos head coach Paul Stumpf. "We keep finding ways to win and that is great for our program."

The goal came when Hromatko took an inbounds pass from Savannah Francis in the middle of the penalty box. Although in a crowd, Hromatko somehow got her foot on the ball for a shot that wound up in the lower left portion of the goal, eluding Anteater goalkeeper Corey Tobin.

Stumpf also spoke about the Big West in general.

"There is nothing easy about this league, this year," Stumpf said. "It feels very similar to 2008 and 2009 when it wasn't a matter of if, but when we were going to score big goals. This makes it three late game-winners for us. Somehow we keep finding ways to win."

The last time the Gauchos advanced to the Big West Tournament was in 2009. They played in consecutive NCAA Tournaments in 2008 and 2009.

Until the goal was scored, the game was essentially a defensive battle. UCI outshot UCSB by a 10-9 margin, but Gaucho senior goalkeeper Beth Ritter saved all five of the Anteaters' shots on frame. Tobin had three saves.

"Shutting out a good soccer tem and playing an organized team like UCI and finding one special moment in front of goal," Stumpf said. "That's a different way to win." 

With the exception of the goal, the best chance that Santa Barbara had to score came midway through the second half when midfielder Sara Feder pounded a shot from inside the box that was saved by Tobin.

Hromatko's team-leading ninth goal is the most by a UCSB freshman since Jennifer Borcich had 11 in 2001.

Since opening the season with consecutive losses at St. Mary's and San Francisco, the Gauchos have gone 12-2-1. In fact, since tying San Jose State on Aug. 28, they have won 12 of 14. In addition, they have yet to allow more than two goals in any match this season and the shutout of UCI is their seventh of the campaign.

UCSB completes the regular season with two key matches next weekend. The Gauchos travel to Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Oct. 29 for a 7:00 p.m. game that will be carried on ESPN3. They will complete the regular season on Nov. 1 at Cal State Northridge