SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – For the first time since October 2019, the UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer team scored four goals in a match. The four goals were scored by four different student-athletes in the first 18 minutes of the game to cap off Santa Barbara's homestand with their third straight victory.
FROM HEAD COACH PAUL STUMPF
Thoughts on the match: "It was really nice to see a curved number up on the scoreboard," said Stumpf. "It was really nice to score some quite nice goals early in the match, which allowed us to relax a little bit, rest some players that need rest, and get some players some minutes that need minutes. I think the girls did a very good job of once again bringing our style off of a magnet board into real life. Momentum is a big deal. Now the challenge is, can we perform on the road? We haven't done it yet."
Thoughts on eight straight home wins and Harder Stadium: "I think a big, flat, fast surface suits our style," explained Stumpf. "We want to get very expansive in possession and stretch people out. Our counter-pressing has been excellent. I think the girls have really latched onto that tactic. I think this surface suits us and what we're trying to achieve."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos got on the attack early, and it paid off almost immediately. In the sixth minute, the Gauchos earned a corner, and
Allison Gonzalez was able to get a shot on net that resulted in another corner kick. Nothing came of the corner, but after regaining possession, some nice passing resulted in a Gaucho goal.
Chayse Yu found
Sophia Moness on a run, who made an extra pass to
Ava Jarolimek, who netted the first goal of the game in the seventh minute.
Less than five minutes later,
Isabella Ong doubled the Gauchos' lead after Moness found her in the box from point-blank range. It would continue to be all Gauchos. This time, less than four minutes after the second goal,
Caitlyn Simons found the back of the net in the 15
th minute. From that point forward, the Bulldogs were unable to gain any momentum.
Emily Caughey scored the Gauchos' fourth goal off a free kick. After a Fresno State foul just outside the penalty area, Caughey and Moness stood over the ball. It would end up being Caughey who took a shot and beat the Fresno State goalkeeper to give the Gauchos a four-goal lead at the 17:49 mark.
Santa Barbara continued to pressure the Bulldog defense for the remainder of the first half, but did not come away with another goal after the first 45 minutes.
The second half saw a lot of Gaucho athletes see minutes. Santa Barbara had multiple chances to add on to their lead, but the shots would either be saved or be fired wide.
Alondra Talamantes nearly went bar down, but hit the top woodwork straight on and the ball rebounded out.
Hayden Halscheid had another great opportunity at net, but the keeper came out of net and made a nifty save to shut down the opportunity. The Gauchos held on for a 4-0 win and earned their eighth straight home win dating back to last season.
UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will hit the road this upcoming week for their first road tests of the season. The Gauchos will head to California Baptist for a non-conference contest on Thursday, Aug. 27. The Gauchos and Lancers will kick off at 7 p.m. in Riverside, California. For those not making the trip, the match can be streamed through ESPN+, with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com/WSOCLiveStats.
