NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer team advanced to its second Big West Championship match in as many years after defeating top-seeded CSUN in a penalty kick shootout to advance. UC Santa Barbara took an early lead with a goal in the first half, but the Matadors responded with an equalizer in the 89th minute, and after two overtime periods, the match was settled in a PK shootout.
 
FROM HEAD COACH PAUL STUMPF
"We found out exactly why Northridge won the regular season tonight," said Stumpf. "When teams get scored on early sometimes you see a little dip in energy, and for Northridge it was the exact opposite. Credit to them for the character, leadership and coaching staff."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The match commenced with UC Santa Barbara exerting early pressure, as Mya Delaney fired a shot in the sixth minute. Persistent attacking efforts bore fruit in the 16th minute when Emma Corcoran found the back of the net, assisted by Delaney, putting the visitors ahead.
 
UC Santa Barbara's defense, anchored by goalkeeper Maddie Buckley, held firm throughout the period. Buckley recorded significant saves, notably thwarting a close-range attempt in the 23rd minute. As the first half concluded, UC Santa Barbara maintained their 1-0 lead over the Matadors.
 
The second half began with a significant moment for UC Santa Barbara as Buckley made a crucial save in the 68th minute, denying a Matador attacker. UC Santa Barbara's Olivia Howard created an opportunity with a shot at 59:01 that went out at the top, applying pressure on the Northridge defense. Corcoran later forced a save from Riley Liebsack with a shot on target at 82:12.
 
Despite defensive efforts, the Matadors broke through in the 89th minute when Paige Califf converted a penalty kick, bringing the score to level terms. The PK was awarded after an initiated review during a stoppage of play by the head referee. The ref concluded that their was a handball in the box, thus awarding the PK.
 
Early in the first overtime period, the Matadors committed several fouls, which provided UC Santa Barbara opportunities to advance. In the 94th minute, Dermott took a shot that went wide right, marking one of the few scoring attempts in the period.
 
Northridge responded with a corner kick in the 95th minute, but both teams maintained defensive pressure throughout the period, and as overtime concluded, the score remained unchanged.
 
The Gauchos nearly ended the game in the second overtime period. Ava Dermott found herself in behind the defense and fired a shot that was unfortunately stopped by the CSUN keeper. With Dermott's shot being the only real scoring chance on both sides in the final 10 minutes, the Gauchos and Matadors moved to penalty kicks after being deadlocked after 110 minutes.
 
In the PK shootout, UCSB and CSUN both converted on their first attempt before both being stopped on their second. The teams continued to hold pace with each other after their third penalty takers converted. After the fourth penalty takers for both sides missed. Ava Dermott redeemed herself and buried her PK attempt.
 
All eyes focused on Maddie Buckley and CSUN's final penalty kicker. Buckley came up huge, making a diving save to her right and helping the Gauchos advance to The Big West Championship Final.
 
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will turn around and play The Big West Championship Final against Central Coast foe Cal Poly on Sunday, Nov. 9. Kick off is set for 1 p.m. in Northridge, California at Matador Soccer Field. For those unable to attend in person, the match will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available.