Box Score SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Amanda Ball scored a goal in the 104th minute on Friday night to give UC Santa Barbara its second consecutive overtime win to open the 2016 season, 1-0 over visiting St. Mary's College.
Ball, who scored the game-winner in OT at Fresno State a week ago, has now scored all four of the Gauchos' goals this season. She gave her team the win with an outstanding individual effort. After collecting a loose ball in the box, she touched it around a defender and the placed a shot into the lower right side of the goal, beyond the Gaels diving goalkeeper, Julia McDonald, ending the match with 5:37 left in the first overtime.
"Amanda is a great goal-scorer," said UCSB head coach Paul Stumpf. "She is a very skilled 1-on-1 player and has the ability to create. That (game-winner) was an example of that."
Ball has now scored all four of UCSB's (2-0) goals this season. She produced a hat-trick in the opening win at Fresno.
Even before the game-winning goal, there were some tense moments for both teams.
Santa Barbara almost won the match in the final seconds of regulation, literally. As the clock was ticking down, Madeleine Gibson received a through-ball from Chace Schornstein, got past the SMC defenders and cracked a shot that was beyond the reach of McDonald, but glanced off the left post.
"This was a better, more complete performance for us," Stumpf said. "At Fresno, I didn't feel we had a complete game. Tonight I felt, in most ways, we did. We had great possession and that matters"
The Gauchos did have to overcome some threats from the Gaels. At one point in the 70th minute Samantha Dion and Morgan Darling hit the left post and right post, respectively.
"Tonight was a really good win against a WCC (West Coast Conference) opponent," Stumpf said. "That is a very good thing."
Gaucho goalkeeper Brittney Rogers, a sophomore, posted her first shutout in the win, collecting a pair of saves. She has now logged nearly 141 minutes without allowing a goal this season.
UCSB returns home on Sunday, Aug. 28 to host the University of San Francisco in a 1:00 p.m. match at Harder Stadium.
