SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara Men's Soccer team got nearly everything they could have wanted on Wednesday night, defeating Sacramento State, 3-0, and getting help elsewhere to move within three points of Big West leaders Cal State Fullerton and claim sole possession of second place in the conference. Midfielder Mikkel Goeling's first-half brace put the Gauchos in the driver's seat, and Leroy Zeller earned career shutout number 20. UC Santa Barbara will play their final two matches on the road, at CSUN and a potential title decider at Cal State Fullerton in the season finale.
 
FROM HEAD COACH TIM VOM STEEG
On the win: "Our team, offensively we knew we would have some opportunities," Vom Steeg said. "Alexis (Ledoux), we got him going on the right side in the first half, created some things over there, and at the same time, this is a dangerous team. They created some opportunities in the first half, so I'm glad we got the shutout, but I thought the best part of tonight is that we responded, we got some goals we needed, and we'll take the three points tonight."
 
On Mikkel Goeling's night: "Well, not much more you can ask than that. He ran the whole field, scored two goals, was in the box, connected most of his passes, definitely a big-time performance."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Prior to the match, UC Santa Barbara celebrated their five graduating seniors: Miguel Tostado, Kenny Villatoro, Jorge Aldana, Leroy Zeller and Lucas Gonzalez. By the final whistle, Tostado, Villatoro, Zeller and Gonzalez had all seen action, with Aldana unfortunately missing out due to an injury concern.
 
Zeller and Gonzalez both started, and both were involved in the action early. Gonzalez registered the first shot of the game, forcing a save from the Hornets' goalkeeper in just the fourth minute. Zeller was called into action for the first time in the 11^th, making his first of four saves.
 
The Gauchos were in control of the match from the start, and it took less than a quarter of an hour for them to be rewarded with a goal. Caden Vom Steeg dribbled into some space in the midfield before finding Nemo Philipp, who took a couple touches down the right wing, then fired a low cross into the penalty area. It went through the legs of Gonzalez and Salvador Aguilar but landed at Goeling's feet. The Dane brought it under control and fired home to give the hosts the lead.
 
Sacramento State had one chance for an equalizer not too long after, but Zeller snuffed that out, and Goeling doubled the Gauchos' advantage in the 23^rd minute. After a neat give-and-go with Gonzalez in the box, Goeling did well to put the ball into the far corner, nutmegging a defender in the process and leaving the Hornets' keeper no chance.
 
UC Santa Barbara kept peppering the Sacramento State goal, forcing a couple more saves before halftime, and Zeller made another save himself just 12 seconds before the whistle to preserve the shutout.
 
The fog which loomed over Harder Stadium all night thickened at the start of the second half, and the bad weather must have fomented a bad mood because the first 15 minutes of the second 45 saw eight fouls and not much else, until that eighth foul.
 
Gonzalez made a good dribbling run into the penalty area in the 60^th minute and was brought down clumsily by his defender, earning a penalty kick. The Gauchos' captain stepped up to take it himself and buried it in the top right corner, only for the referee to call it back, as one of Gonzalez's teammates had encroached, entering the penalty area before the kick was taken. Unfazed, Gonzalez stepped up and buried the kick again, this time low to the right, scoring despite the Hornets' keeper getting a hand to the ball.
 
That third goal proved to be the dagger, as while Sacramento State mounted a valiant effort to get back in the game, UC Santa Barbara's midfield maintained more possession, their attack continued to create chances, and the defense shut down nearly every Hornet opportunity. The visitors' best chance came in the 87^th minute, when a striker got through one-on-one with Zeller, but the big German got a fingertip to the shot, which was enough to guide it wide.
 
UP NEXT
Two matches remain for the Gauchos in the 2023 regular season, the first of which is Saturday, October 21 at CSUN. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be live on ESPN+ with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com. A win over the Matadors would give UC Santa Barbara the chance to win The Big West regular season title in the season finale at Cal State Fullerton on October 28.