SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Longtime Big West standout and first-time Gaucho
Donovan Sessoms announced his arrival at UC Santa Barbara in style Friday night, putting home the lone goal in the men's soccer team's preseason friendly against LMU. The Sacramento State transfer's 30-yard thunderbolt was his first score in any match in the Blue and Gold since arriving on campus in the spring, and it gave his new squad a 1-0 victory over the Lions. Sophomore goalkeeper
Owen Beninga also impressed, making five saves — three of them stunners — to preserve the clean sheet and indicate that he is ready for a repeat of last year's breakout campaign.
QUOTABLE
Senior forward Donovan Sessoms on his goal: "It was a good feeling," Sessoms said. "I've got to build off of it, I can't get comfortable, but it feels nice because I didn't score in the spring. Now I have a goal and I just have to keep working off that."
Junior midfielder and co-captain Kalle Rahbek on the team's performance: "I think we came out pretty strong," Rahbek said. "We played them in the spring, so we came out a little more slow; this time we came out really strong and we were good in the press. We connected good passes, and then after 25 minutes the game set and we had the game where we wanted the rest of the game, so it was a great performance by the guys and it's good to end the preseason with a win. We can build on that."
Senior defender and co-captain Calle Mollerberg on expectations for the season: "I just want to really go day-by-day, game-by-game," Mollerberg said. "I don't want to fly too far in the future, I just want to focus on the next one, which is San Jose at home on Saturday."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams went back and forth in the first 20 minutes, alternating spells in which they dominated possession. The Gauchos were a couple missed passes away from generating any chances with their share of the ball, but the Lions asked questions of Beninga in the early going. The first test was simple: a deflected shot that looped into Beninga's arms, but the second required some saving. The big sophomore got down to his left quickly to make a one-on-one stop.
That save was seemingly all the wake-up call that the Gaucho offense needed, and Sessoms gave his side the lead with a moment of individual brilliance in the 20
th minute. Picking up the ball around midfield on the right wing, Sessoms cut into the middle of the field, gliding past a pair of LMU defenders before unleashing a rocket of a left-footed shot from 30 yards out that sailed into the high side netting.
The lead turned out to be just the foothold Santa Barbara needed as they took more control of the match, having a much easier time dictating the tempo of play and preventing LMU from getting any opportunities to shoot. The patterned continued after halftime, with the Gauchos controlling the ball despite spirited resistance from the Lions. The visitors forced three second-half saves from Beninga, the first of which was a simple scoop on a ball right at him. The other two were far more impressive: another diving stop in a one-on-one situation and a swat away from danger that required all six feet and four inches of the sophomore's imposing frame.
The game turned from stalemate to settled in the 72
nd minute, when a second yellow card reduced LMU to 10 players. The numbers advantage only made it easier for the Gauchos to control the possession, and the Lions did not manage a shot after the sending-off. Santa Barbara had some chances to add to the scoreline, with
Steinar Bjornsson going just high from a close-range free kick and
Jakob Methvin smashing a shot off the post after a lung-busting run down the left wing.
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will officially open their 2026 campaign in one week, hosting San Jose State at Harder Stadium on Aug. 21 in the first-ever meeting between Santa Barbara and the Spartans. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., secure your seats now with season or single-game tickets by visiting ucsbgauchos.com/tickets.
