SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Despite holding the lead for 88 minutes, the Gauchos ended with a draw against Sacramento State on Thursday. An 89th minute goal by the Hornets knotted the game at one which would hold until the final whistle.

FROM HEAD COACH PAUL STUMPF
"We are obviously very disappointed not to come away with our first win of the season," said Stumpf. "We really should have had two or three goals on the board with the quality of opportunities we created for ourselves. Then to concede a goal with less than two minutes to go on a throw-in is very hard to swallow."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sacramento State got the first scoring chance of the match with two shots by Ellie Farber before the eighth minute. 
 
Jessica Carlton shifted the momentum for the Gauchos in the 15th minute with a shot tucked into the right corner. The shot was saved by Sacramento's goalkeeper Izzy Palmatier. UC Santa Barbara had two more good looks to take an early lead with a blocked shot by Olivia Howard followed up by another Carlton shot.
 
Howard stayed on the attack following a corner kick awarded to the Gauchos. Despite another push by the Gauchos, the game still remained 0-0 in the 30th minute. The two teams exchanged shots, including four in three minutes by Sacramento State, but to no avail. 
 
With five minutes to go in the first half, Isabella Ong's blocked shot landed back to the feet of the Gauchos. Haley Phillips passed the ball off to Emma Corcoran who found  Chayse Yu in the center of the Gaucho's attacking third. Yu took a shot from 28 yards out and beat Palmer, giving the Gauchos a 1-0 lead headed into the break. 
 

First Gaucho goal of the season comes off the boot of Chayse Yu!#GoGauchos pic.twitter.com/AfXWjIJPI9

— UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer (@UCSBWomenSoccer) August 22, 2024

 
Three shots for the Gauchos kept the energy up as they started the second half, but Sacramento State quickly gained possession resulting in three shots in the 65th minute. One shot was on target but was saved by Sabrina Hinz.
 
The Gauchos fought to secure a two-goal lead with six shots late in the game. With two minutes to go, Sacramento's Farber scored to tie up the match in the 89th minute. The 1-1 result would hold until the finish.
 
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will have a couple days of recovery before taking on the Fresno State Bulldogs at home at Harder Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 25. Kick off is set for 12 p.m. with streaming on ESPN+.