SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - A dominant performance by UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer on Sunday afternoon at Harder Stadium led to a 3-0 win for the Gauchos. Underclassmen shined with the first collegiate goal for Ava Jarolimek and a first goal of the season for Olivia Howard.
FROM HEAD COACH PAUL STUMPF
"It was great getting Ava her first goal and getting her some confidence," said Stumpf. "Olivia (Howard) played a new role so it was good for her to get a look at the net. We finally found a performance where we didn't get scored on and we got a few goals. Finally, the girls are getting rewarded for all their effort."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos found their first goal of the match early with a cross from Erin Ellsworth. As the ball floated in the box, a header from Olivia Howard sent it to the back of the net to put the Gauchos up 1-0 in the 3rd minute.
Santa Barbara maintained the offensive pressure with shots by Devin Greer, Isabella Ong and O'Callaghan Liu in the following seven minutes. As both teams battled for possession across the first thirty minutes, a shot on target from Pacific found the hands of Sabrina Hinz for the first save of the game.
Eager to push the Gauchos further ahead, Samantha Christie and Jessica Carlton tested the Pacific defense by taking two shots each in two minutes. As the clock approached 40 minutes, both teams were looking for a goal before the end of the half.
As Zoe Franks came down right field in the 43rd minute, she looked to make a connection with a cross into the box. As it landed, a touch from Haley Phillips back towards Ava Jarolimek created an opportunity for the Gauchos. Jarolimek unleashed a soaring ball past a wall of Tigers and into the net, securing her first collegiate goal and doubling the lead for Santa Barbara. The Gauchos headed into halftime up 2-0.
Olivia Howard and Erin Ellsworth came ready for more as they set up the first shots of the second half. As Santa Barbara maintained possession, Samantha Christie and Jaclyn Degidio both got shots off before the 60th minute. A corner kick for Santa Barbara landed at the feet of Isabella Ong for another chance, but it was unable to find the back of the net.
Devin Greer gave Santa Barbara their next scoring chance, facing Pacific's Sierra Schwartz one-on-one three times, but her shots were miraculously cleared by the Pacific defense. The third save in the 83rd minute bounced back to the foot of Jessica Carlton. She lined up a perfect shot to sail past Schwartz and secure the 3-0 win at home for the Gauchos as the final whistle sounded.
Sabrina Hinz kept the Tigers off the board for the first 85 minutes of play as Kate Willmering finished off the shutout in her first collegiate appearance.
FROM FRESHMAN MIDFIELDER AVA JAROLIMEK
"These past few games we haven't been able to find the back of the net," said Jarolimek. "I always think we're the better team. I think it feels get a goal. This will help us going into our conference games and succeed in them."
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will travel north to San Luis Obispo, Calif. on Thursday to face the rival Mustangs at Cal Poly. The match will kick off at 7 p.m. with streaming available on ESPN+.
