SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – CSUN's Cynthia Sanchez scored 87 seconds into the first overtime period in Thursday evening's Big West matchup to deal UC Santa Barbara a 1-0 loss, its first this season at Harder Stadium. 

Entering the week with a 7-0 mark at home and a 10-1-1 overall record that ranked as the team's best start since 1990, UCSB (10-2-1, 1-1-0 Big West) struggled to create many chances against a Northridge (6-3-5, 1-1-1) side that ranked twelfth in the country and tops in the Big West with a 0.49 goals against average. 

Senior midfielder Dakota Griggs was UCSB's most potent offensive player against the Matadors, registering a team-high three shots including the squad's only two shots on frame. 

Griggs had the team's best look of the game in the 74th minute, when she got loose in the final third before uncorking a 30-yard left-footed shot to the top left corner. Unfortunately for UCSB, CSUN keeper Jovani McCaskill was up to the task with a diving stop that pushed the shot over the bar. 

Other than that, opportunties for UCSB were few and far between, with Chace Shornstein's just-wide header in the 10th minute the team's sole other scoring chance. 

Despite two halves of solid defensive play, Sanchez's golden goal was created off a miscue. A short clearance in the UCSB box went right to Sanchez, and with keeper Brittney Rogers high in the box, the Matador striker shot low off the right post and in.

Rogers was one of UCSB's top players in regulation, making five saves including a pair of game-saving ones. 

Her best work came in the 72nd minute, when CSUN's Bethany Fitzsimmons was played into a partial 1-v-1 with Rogers, who got into good position before making a leg save. 

She also came up big in the 24th minute, making a diving kick save of a Camille Watson shot after the latter got free in the box on a defensive turnover. 

For the game, the Gauchos were outshot 9-5 though they enjoyed a small edge in corners, 5-4. It was their first loss at home since Oct. 11, 2015, a span of 10 games. 

UCSB will next be in action next Thursday night, Oct. 13, on the road at Blue-Green rival Cal Poly with a scheduled 7:00 p.m. kickoff.