Box Score SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – In a back-and-forth affair, UC Santa Barbara and the University of the Pacific fought to a 2-2 double overtime tie in a non-conference women's soccer match at Harder Stadium on Friday evening.
UCSB (3-3-2) dominated the Tigers (2-5-2) in the first half, but the visitors returned the favor in the second half to overcome a 2-1 deficit and secure the tie.
Christine Maurer's first career goal gave UCSB a 1-0 lead at the 5:29 mark of the match. The play began when Lynsee Voss played the ball from the right side to Mallory Hromatko inside the 18-yard box. Hromatko snuck a pass to Maurer and the freshman tapped it past Regan Heslop to the left of the goal.
The Tigers tied the score in the 15th minute when they worked the ball up the left side of the field. Ashley Arnett sent a pass into the penalty box and Sigrid Aas redirected it past Santa Barbara goalkeeper Maddie Julian.
A familiar source broke the tie for UCSB at the 20:55 mark when Voss sent a through-ball to Amanda Ball about 30 yards away from the goal. Ball went in one-on-one and sent a shot past Heslop for her team-leading seventh goal of the season.
Pacific nearly tied the score in the second minute of the second half, but a shot by Alex Hussar hit the post.
In the 69th minute, a defensive miscue helped the Tigers tie the score at 2-2. The Gauchos sent a ball back to Julian who misplayed it and lost it to Brynd Thorolfsdottir who scored on a floating shot from above the top of the penalty box.
Hromatko had a chance to give the lead back to UCSB, but her shot in the 70th minute from point blank range was blocked by Heslop.
Each team had a handful of opportunities down the stretch and in the overtime.
Gaucho defender Kate Shoemaker got free at the outset of the first half of the OT and went one-on-one against Heslop, but the visitor's keeper came up with one of her six saves. About 10 minutes later, in the second minute of the second overtime, Katelyn Chandler received a through-ball from Alex Hussar but sent a shot just wide to the left. Less than a minute later, Ball sent a shot just over the crossbar on the other end for the Gauchos.
Santa Barbara outshot Pacific 16-9, but would have had even more opportunities if not for 17 offside calls. In fact, the Gauchos had 15 offside calls before Pacific was whistled for its first.
UCSB will remain at home and play Loyola Marymount on Sunday, Sept. 17 in a match that is slated to kick-off at 5:30 p.m. in Harder Stadium.
