LA JOLLA, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara Men's Soccer team remains unbeaten in conference play (and in their last eight matches overall), though the implications of Wednesday night's 1-1 draw at UC San Diego are hardly straightforward. On the upside, the Gauchos maintained their unbeaten streaks despite being down a player for the final 25 minutes of action, thanks in large part to Kaden Standish's remarkable long-range goal. However, the downsides are that the Santa Barbara defense let the Tritons score an equalizer after Standish's screamer, dropping two points rather than rescuing the one. Also in the "bad news" column is the matter of who received the 55^th minute red card: phenomenal freshman goalkeeper Owen Beninga. He will now miss the Gauchos next match, at Cal Poly on Saturday; he was specifically picked to start September's edition of the Blue-Green Rivalry because of how well his skills counter the Mustangs' gameplan.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
That 55^th minute sending-off lit the powder keg for the frantic finish to the evening, though pressure had been building throughout the night. The two teams played to a stalemate in the first half despite combining for 15 shots, with the hosts accounting for nine of those.
 
It was the visiting Gauchos, despite sitting eight spots higher in the conference table entering the match, who began proceedings on the back foot, with the Tritons enjoying more possession and chances for the first half hour of action. The home team saw a couple of shots blocked by Santa Barbara defenders in the seventh minute but could not test Beninga until the 26^th, firing a long-range drive that required the rookie netminder to tip it over the crossbar. The Tritons manufactured another shot on target shortly afterwards, but it was a much simpler catch for Beninga the second time around.
 
Meanwhile, the Gauchos managed to put up two shots in the first thirty minutes, neither of which troubled UC San Diego's goalkeeper. In the 17^th minute, Eddie Villeda went close with a free kick from just outside the penalty area, and it took 13 more minutes before the Gauchos registered another attempt: a flicked header from Zac Siebenlist that lacked the power or accuracy to provide a real threat.
 
Still, the action did become more balanced from the 30^th minute on, with Santa Barbara finally starting to establish a foothold in the game. After being out-shot, 7-2, in the first 30 minutes of the game, the Gauchos put up four attempts to the Tritons' two in the final 15 minutes of the first half. One of those Gaucho shots required a save, albeit a simple one after Ocean Salari's attempt was deflected. Siebenlist also had a shot blocked from close range in the 40^th minute and Calle Mollerberg put too much loft on his drive from the top of the penalty area in the 45^th minute. The teams went to the break scoreless.
 
Ten minutes after they returned to the field, the Tritons split the Gaucho defense to put a forward through on goal, albeit about 30 yards out. Beninga was brave, rushing off his line to meet the threat, but he was out of his penalty area before reaching his opponent, meaning he could not smother the ball with his hands, and he mis-timed his sliding tackle. For denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity with a foul, he was issued his marching orders.
 
Luke Skinner came on to replace him at the cost of one of Santa Barbara's outfield players, though thankfully the free kick the Tritons won from Beninga's foul went harmlessly high. The hosts did manufacture two scary moments shortly afterwards, putting a shot off the post in the 58^th minute and forcing Skinner to get down to his left quickly with another long-range effort. Afterwards, the Gauchos steadied themselves, not letting their numerical disadvantage noticeably impact their ability to keep the ball.
 
Mollerberg did have to race 40 yards back to make up for his own giveaway with a great slide tackle to block a shot in the 67^th minute, but three minutes later, it was the Gauchos' turn to punish a defensive mistake, which Standish handled. The junior made a great read to pick off a lazy pass from the Triton defense, then took three touches to set himself up about 30 yards from goal and blasted a shot into the top corner with his less-favored left foot.
 
With a one-goal lead to preserve, the Gaucho defense once again dug in. However, like on Saturday, they were not able to hold out, conceding an equalizer in the 82^nd minute. Their numerical disadvantage did not help in the search of a late winner, though Standish nearly provided another moment of magic in the 90^th minute, winning the ball in the Gauchos' defensive midfield area — about 60 or 70 yards from goal — and trying to chip the Tritons' out-of-position goalkeeper. His Hail Mary attempt had the distance but not the accuracy, going just left of the net.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• After Wednesday night's action Santa Barbara now sits in third place in The Big West standings after wins for Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State Fullerton elsewhere. They remain a single point ahead of arch rivals Cal Poly.
• The Gauchos' draw is their third in a row and sixth this season. No Santa Barbara Men's Soccer team has ever tied seven matches in one season, including Big West and NCAA Tournament matches.
• With the draw, Santa Barbara extended their unbeaten streak to eight matches; the last time the Gauchos went that long without defeat was 2022.

 
UP NEXT
Santa Barbara will have to quickly reset and prepare for their toughest road trip of the season, as the Gauchos visit Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo for the second leg of the Blue-Green Rivalry on Saturday, which Beninga will miss due to his red card. Kickoff from Mustang Memorial Field is set for 4 p.m. with the match set to be streamed live on ESPN+. Live stats are also available through ucsbgauchos.com.