SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Oct. 9, 2022) – The UC Santa Barbara women's soccer team is back at Harder Stadium today as the Gauchos took on the Aggies of UC Davis. Heading into this game, the Gauchos were just one point ahead of the Aggies in the Big West standings with the results of this match making a difference in the standing heading into the back half of conference play.

At the end of 90 minutes, it was the Aggies who came out on top with a goal in the 76th minute, resulting in a 1-0 defeat for UC Santa Barbara and the loss of its four-game unbeaten streak. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
From the start of this game, the Gauchos and the Aggies were playing a very physical game and the referees allowed the physicality. Both teams battled throughout this first half as neither team scored by the start of halftime.

One of the best chances for the Gauchos came in the second half off a free kick right outside of the box. Krysten Vasquez put up a great shot towards the top right corner of the goal. But with a great reaching save from the Aggies' goalkeeper, the score remained at 0-0. However, UC Davis made a big play in the 76th minute to put them up 1-0 over the Gauchos after craziness ensured in the goalkeeper box, causing UC Santa Barbara to play down the last 15 minutes. Despite attempts to find the back of the net, it did not happen as the Gauchos lost 1-0 to the Aggies.

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Vasquez put the most offensive pressure on the Aggies and she registered three shots in this matinee game. Of those three shots, one was on goal. The other Gaucho to put a shot on goal was Shaye Douglas, who made a calculated shot late in the second half.
• Also registering shots in this game were Elise Ziem, Melanie Mikoy and Dylan Lewis.
• The physicality of this game showed through the number of fouls. Both teams ended the game with 12 apiece with UC Santa Barbara having the most in the first half and UC Davis taking the lead in the second.
• The Gauchos did top the Aggies in corner kicks and possession. From the edge of the pitch, UC Santa Barbara had six corners compared to UC Davis' two. Along with that, the Gauchos had possession of the ball 54 percent of the time compared to the Aggies, who controlled the ball for 46 percent of the match.

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will be back in action on Thursday, Oct. 13, as they hit the road for another Big West matchup. UC Santa Barbara will head to Fullerton, California to take on the Cal State Fullerton Titans. First kick is scheduled for 7 p.m. that day with ESPN+ hosting the live stream while also having live stats available.