SAN JOSE, Calif. (Aug. 20, 2023) - After conceding an early goal, the UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer team came away with a 1-1 tie against the defending Mountain West Conference Champions, San Jose State.

Lauren Helwig scored the equalizer for the Gauchos in the 25th minute as the Gauchos and SJSU battled to a 1-1 draw Sunday afternoon at Spartan Soccer Complex.

"Sunday games can be hard especially this early in the season with weather factoring in," said Stumpf. "I was pleased with our grit and we were able to get a lot of players involved today. I saw a lot of positives, but also saw some areas that need some attention and growth."

The Spartans got out to an early 1-0 lead after a turnover in the San Jose attacking third proved costly. A failed clear attempt by the Gauchos resulted in the Spartans breaking the nil-nil tie. SJSU's Bella Flocchini took a shot from just outside the 18-yard box and found the left side of the net for her first goal of the season. 

"Soccer is a game of mistakes," explained Stumpf. "The style we play puts us at risk due to our expansive shape. We're going to make mistakes and we need to react better. I am please with how we didn't panic and earned the result we did from a bad start."

The Spartans kept the pressure on but the UC Santa Barbara defense held strong and turned the momentum of the game around. Shortly after keeping three shots from finding the back of the net, the Gauchos made a push up the field and leveled the score. With the goalkeeper out of position, Lauren Helwig ripped a shot from the center of the box and recorded her first goal of the season.

The Gauchos settled into the game and kept the Spartans scoreless for the final 83 minutes and 38 seconds of game play. Both teams gave a final push in the final minute but neither team could come away with the victory and for the second year in a row, UC Santa Barbara and San Jose State played to a draw. 

UC Santa Barbara will return home as they host Westmont College for the Community Shield Game on Tuesday, Aug. 22. The match is set to kick off at 7:00 p.m. For those unable to attend, the game will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com.