HUNTINGTON, W. Va. — UC Santa Barbara Men's Soccer goaltender Luke Skinner was a busy man on Sunday afternoon, facing 16 shots and making seven saves for the Gauchos against No. 10 Marshall, though it was not enough to avoid defeat. Santa Barbara played well against the 2024 College Cup runners-up for the better part of an hour, but a red card made it harder to hold off the Herd and the Gauchos fell, 4-0.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The early action was largely even, though also largely uneventful. Skinner's first save was a routine one inside the first three minutes, and Buba Fofanah was denied from close range in a one-on-one situation shortly afterwards, but for the majority of the opening 20 minutes, there were few chances for either team. Despite the hosts having the majority of the possession, Santa Barbara kept Marshall's attack contained, at least from open play. The Herd got on the board first, scoring on the third of three consecutive corner kicks in the 24^th minute.
 
After going down a goal, the Gauchos kicked their attack up a notch. Kaden Standish started asking more questions of Herd defenders, winning a couple free kicks in the five minutes following the score, and Eddie Villeda put a shot just wide in the 30^th minute, immediately preceding a hydration break.
 
The game continued as it had begun after the hydration break, though the introductions of Zac Siebenlist and Isaiah Barber added some energy to the Gauchos' high press and attack, with the former chasing every Marshall pass back to their goalkeeper and the latter out-running Herd defenders to try and latch onto balls over top of the back line. As before, the Santa Barbara midfield and back line kept Marshall from getting many good looks at goal, though the hosts did get one chance near the end of the half. Jacob Blach made a good recovery after a Herd breakaway to block the ensuing shot, though the rebound fell to another Marshall forward, who dragged his shot wide of the net.
 
The Gauchos kept up their good work after the break, but the tenor of the match changed in the 57^th minute. Villeda received a yellow card and was immediately issued his marching orders with a second yellow card for dissent. His head coach had his back, with Tim Vom Steeg receiving two consecutive yellow cards himself while pleading Villeda's case.
 
In the immediate aftermath, the Gauchos upped their tempo again, though they still struggled to generate clear chances. However, Santa Barbara's numerical disadvantage stung them in the 72^nd minute, when Marshall scored their second goal of the game on a breakaway.
 
The Herd's third goal was the unluckiest of the day for Skinner, who made a great close-range stop after Marshall had strung together a nice passing move in the penalty area. Cruelly, the rebound from Skinner's stop ended up right at the feet of another Marshall forward, who put it home. The Herd added a fourth goal three minutes before full time.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• With the defeat, the Gauchos have now lost three matches in a row for the first time since 2017 and just the fifth time under Vom Steeg.
• Santa Barbara received seven cards in the match, their most bookings in a match since 2004.
• The 4-0 loss is the Gauchos' worst margin of defeat since 2023.

 
UP NEXT
Santa Barbara has one match left on their road trip, visiting UNLV in Las Vegas on Thursday, Sept. 18 before returning to Harder Stadium on Sept. 21, when they will host Grand Canyon.