KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The No. 24 UC Santa Barbara Men's Soccer team hits the road for the first time in 2024 this week, visiting the Kansas City Roos on Thursday and the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles on Sunday. The Gauchos come into the road trip with momentum from their big win over Missouri State on opening night, plus extra rest, having not played over the weekend.
 
WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH
The Gauchos and Roos will kick off from Durwood Soccer Stadium in Kansas City at 6 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday night, with a live stream available through the Summit League Network and live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com.
 
The Gauchos will then face Oral Roberts at Case Soccer Complex in Tulsa at 5 p.m. Pacific Time on Sunday evening. Again, a livestream will be available through the Summit League Network with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Santa Barbara (1-0-0) opened its 2024 campaign in style on Thursday, defeating Missouri State, 3-1, at Harder Stadium. Alexis Ledoux and Peleg Brown both starred for the Gauchos, and each man earned a Big West weekly award for his performance. Ledoux was named the conference's Offensive Player of the Week with two goals and an assist, while Brown earned a Freshman of the Week nod after notching his first collegiate assist to go with 73 shutout minutes in defense. Goalkeeper David Mitzner also impressed against the Bears, making five big saves.  The Gauchos' big win catapulted them into the United Soccer Coaches' Rankings, checking in at No. 24 to start the week.
 
SCOUTING THE ROOS
Kansas City (1-0-1) opened their 2024 campaign in the Bay Area last week, notching a 1-0 win over Saint Mary's in Moraga before drawing with San Francisco, 2-2, in their most recent action on Saturday. Junior forward Elie Kisoka notched a goal and an assist in the two contests, bringing home Summit League Offensive Peak Performer of the Week honors for his work. Midfielders Miguel Fernandez and Julien Le Bourdoulous also received recognition from their conference, being named Summit League Players to Watch ahead of the season.
 
In goal, the Roos have senior Brandon McGaugh, whose 6-foot-5 frame makes him one of the few collegiate goalkeepers capable of rivaling Santa Barbara's 6-foot-4 Mitzner in stature. McGaugh has eight saves and a .800 save percentage to his name coming into this week's action.
 
The Gauchos and Roos have met only once before, a 3-2 Santa Barbara victory at Harder Stadium last September. Nemo Philipp was the star for the Gauchos, scoring twice and assisting. That match was Mitzner's Santa Barbara debut; he made three saves to earn his first win.
 
Only one of Kansas City's two goal scorers from last year's fixture returns, in the shape of sophomore forward Brice Middleton. Midfielders Jack Dean and Hector Taboada assisted Middleton on his score last season, they both return for the Roos as well.
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Oral Roberts (0-1-1) are still looking for their first win of the season, though a bad team they are not. The Golden Eagles played on the road at No. 22 Kentucky and No. 10 SMU to open their season, falling, 3-2, to the Wildcats and earning a 1-1 draw against the Mustangs. ORU will play another group of Mustangs, those from Cal Poly, on Thursday before hosting the Gauchos.
 
The Golden Eagles' forward duo of Omar Mora and Jose Estrada were a dynamic duo in week one, combining to score ORU's three goals. Estrada assisted one of Mora's two strikes against Kentucky then scored himself against SMU, an impressive haul in just 50 minutes of action for the senior. Summit League Player to Watch Luis Flores is a third danger man in attack; he was one of four scorers for the Golden Eagles when these two teams met in Santa Barbara for last season's curtain-raiser. Defender Schinieder Mimy joined Flores on the conference's preseason watchlist. Behind Mimy, the Golden Eagles will likely return goalkeeper Jakub Grzesiak, who was sent off in the season opener and missed the following game due to suspension. Joao Mesquita has deputized, posting a .750 save percentage in just under 105 minutes of action.
 
Last season's 4-0 defeat was just the second time the Gauchos had ever faced Oral Roberts, the first since 1997. Santa Barbara did win that first-ever meeting in Tulsa in the '90s, 2-1.
 
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will return home after this road trip to host UNLV on Sept. 6. Kickoff for that match is set at 7 p.m. from Harder Stadium. For fans who are unable to make it to the match, the action will be streamed live on ESPN+ with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com.