NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — UC Santa Barbara goalkeeper Leroy Zeller entered an elite club on Saturday night, becoming just the sixth men's soccer player in school history to record 200 saves as a Gaucho. The big German made three stops against CSUN and got some help from his offense, as Alexis Ledoux scored a late equalizer to earn a 2-2 draw against the Matadors.
 
UC Santa Barbara has secured one of six places in The Big West Championship but will have to wait until the final weekend of the season to know whether they will host or potentially even earn a first-round bye. The Gauchos could still win The Big West Regular Season Title and the top seed for the conference tournament, but will need help to do so.
 
FROM HEAD COACH TIM VOM STEEG
"We played a very good game, scoring two goals on the road," Vom Steeg said. "This should have been enough to win the game, but we failed to make key defensive plays. Although we are disappointed not to win, we have to think of the positive of coming back two times to get a tie on the road."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Santa Barbara controlled a majority of possession from the start of the match, but it was the hosts who scored first, CSUN finding the net against the run of play in the ninth minute.
 
However, it did not take long for the Gauchos to equalize, with the red-hot Lucas Gonzalez involved again. Caden Vom Steeg played a superb diagonal ball from midfield, finding Gonzalez with space in the penalty area in the 21^st minute. The captain fired home with a firm, high shot at the near post for his third goal in as many games since returning from his ankle injury.
 
The number of scoring chances diminished for the rest of the first half, with Santa Barbara managing one more shot on target just before the whistle, and the Matadors putting a couple tame attempts toward the Gaucho goal. Zeller officially joined the 200 save club in the 21^st minute, making a routine catch on a shot right from kickoff after Gonzalez's goal. He added another save, just as routine, after a free kick in the 24^th.
 
In the second half, it was CSUN who had the better chances early, putting a header just wide of Zeller's goal from a corner kick in the 53^rd minute, and forcing the Gauchos' keeper to make his best save of the night five minutes later. The Matadors' star forward, Jamar Ricketts, got a one-on-one opportunity against Zeller, who made himself big, denying Ricketts's low shot with a kick save.
 
At the other end, Pablo Figueroa had a great chance to score for the Gauchos two minutes after Zeller's big stop, capitalizing on an opportunity to counter-attack but dragging his shot wide. The Matadors got the next scoring chance and converted it. The goal came from an impressive solo effort, the Matador goal scorer making a mazy run around the Gauchos' penalty area before firing home from no more than 10 yards out.
 
As the Gauchos went in pursuit of another equalizer, they started to grow back into the game as well, enjoying more time on the ball and creating more good looks at goal. In the 73^rd minute, a loose ball bounced around in the Matador penalty area, but no Gaucho could put a boot on it. Six minutes later, they got their goal from another rebound. Eddie Villeda fired a low shot from the top of the penalty area in the 79^th minute, which the CSUN keeper saved, but the ball bounced up and Ledoux was right there. The Frenchman had charged into the box, following Villeda's shot, and was rewarded with a wide-open net that he just had to head the ball into.
 
Both teams had long-range chances to win the game before the final whistle. CSUN's 81^st minute drive went just wide of the net, and then the Gauchos really poured on the pressure. After an 89^th minute corner kick, the ball ricocheted to Ledoux at the top of the penalty arc, who volleyed a line-drive attempt. It would have been the winner, if not for a stunning diving save by the Matador goalkeeper.
 
UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will play Cal State Fullerton on the road in the regular season finale next Saturday, October 28 at 7 p.m. The Gauchos now need help from Cal Poly, which hosts the Titans on Sunday, to have a shot at The Big West Regular Season Title. If Cal State Fullerton ties or loses to the Mustangs, the Gauchos could claim the regular season championship with a win in the season finale.