Box Score SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Maybe it was the early game time, but the UC Santa Barbara women's soccer team got off to a slow start on Friday morning before kicking it into high gear and cruising to its eighth straight win to start the season, 4-1 at Texas-San Antonio.
The match started at 10:00 a.m. local time, 8:00 a.m. in Santa Barbara, and the Roadrunners (4-4) took advantage by claiming a 1-0 lead on the Gauchos (8-0).
Kaja Skare's header in the box was set-up by a cross from Sarah Bayhi to the back post. The goal was Skare's sixth of the season.
It remained 1-0 until late in the first half when UCSB freshman Shaelan Murison scored three goals in a span of 5 minutes and 31 seconds to give her team a decisive lead.
Murison leveled the score at 1-1 at the 37:43 mark when she took a cross from Savannah Francis in the six-yard box and scored to the right side.
The Gauchos took the lead less than two minutes later as Murison scored off of a cross from Ashley Dean near the top of the goal box at the 39:16 mark. At 43:14 another Murison goal gave her team a 3-1 advantage as she scored to the goalkeeper's left side off of assists from Dean and Francis.
"We possessed the ball for 63 or 64-percent of the time," said head coach Paul Stumpf. "When we have it that much, it works to Shaelan's advantage. She received all three balls in the box and she's very composed when she gets it. She beat at least one defender on each and got some really good shots."
Murison and Dean also collaborated for UCSB's final goal in a 2-0 win over UNLV on Sept. 11, so after completing her hat trick in the first half against UTSA, the Santa Clara native had scored four goals in less than two halves of play. Her hat trick was the second of the season for the Gauchos as Amanda Ball had one in the season opener at Fresno State.
The Gauchos put the icing on the cake in the 79th minute when Jessica Parque took a pass from Kailey Hackett and pounded a ball from 30 yards out that went over goalkeeper Isabella Sanchez's head. For Parque, who scored five goals as a freshman, it marked the first of her sophomore campaign.
"Until we scored our first goal we didn't have any shots on frame today," Stumpf said. "That was a little surprising, but after a little bit of a slow start, we got going. I was also happy that we had five assists on four goals today, we passed the ball well."
Despite allowing the early goal, UCSB dominated the match from start-to-finish, outshooting the Roadrunners 15-5 overall and 7-2 on frame. Brittney Rogers and Jacq Caginia split time in goal with Rogers starting and improving her record to 7-0 and Caginia playing the final 34:09 and recording the team's only save on the morning. The Gauchos also had a 7-0 advantage in corner kicks.
The eight-game winning streak to open a season is the second longest in school history. In 1989, UCSB began the season with a 12-0 record before falling at No. 1 North Carolina. In addition, dating back to the 2015 season, the Gauchos have won 21 of their last 25 games.
Santa Barbara will remain in Texas for one more match, taking on the University of Texas in Austin on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 12:30 p.m. (PST). The match between the Longhorns and Gauchos will be available on the Longhorn Network by clicking here.
