SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer team (6-1-1, 0-0-0) secured a 2-0 victory over the University of New Mexico (4-1-2, 0-0-0) under the lights at Harder Stadium on Thursday evening, with both goals coming in the second half. With the win, the Gauchos celebrated their fifth consecutive match victory.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Santa Barbara dominated the early minutes of the first half with a series of attacks, taking multiple shots on goal. UNM's goalkeeper was active, recording saves against shots from Emily Caughey in the 5th minute, Isabella Ong in the 11th minute, and Chayse Yu in the 27th minute. Despite UC Santa Barbara's offensive pressure, the Lobos' defense held firm, and the score remained 0-0 at the end of the half. New Mexico managed a few counterattacks, with a shot being stopped by Maddie Buckley in the 41st minute, keeping the match evenly poised heading into the second half.

UC Santa Barbara and New Mexico entered the second half scoreless, but UCSB's offensive momentum shifted when Olivia Howard scored the first goal of the match in the 65th minute, giving the home team a 1-0 lead. After a misplayed ball by the keeper, who was well out of position, Howard took a long-range shot and broke the deadlock.

The Lobos mounted several challenges with multiple shots on goal, but UCSB goalkeeper Buckley made key saves, including a notable one in the 55th minute. UCSB extended its lead to 2-0 in the 76th minute when Evelyn Arsenault found the back of the net, assisted by Emily Caughey and Ava Dermott. Despite New Mexico's persistent attacks, including a shot that hit the crossbar in the 84th minute, UCSB maintained its lead to secure the victory.

UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will host Sacramento State on Sunday, September 14 at 11 a.m. The match will be streamed through ESPN+ with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com/WSOCLiveStats.