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UCSB Rallies To Get Past San Diego in Double Overtime

Box Score

Apr. 20, 2014

Santa Barbara, CA - The Gauchos came back from 0-5 and 1-6 deficits to University of San Diego to win 12-11 in the second overtime period of the WWLL Championship Tournament third place game. Sixty minutes were not enough for an outcome. It took another 8 minutes and 14 seconds before UCSB finished an improbable comeback. The game winner was an unassisted golden goal by senior Blair Evans (Salinas, CA) to cap off a weekend of a lot of lacrosse for everyone. UCSB persevered through 188 minutes and 14 seconds of lacrosse in a 30 hour period. Such is the format of the WWLL Tournament which has quarterfinals and semifinals Saturday before the final round is played on Sunday. 

"Nobody scripts getting down by five goals at the start of a game so we weren't too happy with that," said UCSB head coach Paul Ramsey after the game, "but it has happened to us a few times this year and perhaps our short comebacks in those games enabled us to come back all the way this time."

To get to overtime UCSB shook off San Diego taking a 5-0 lead and finally got on the board with an unassisted goal by Evans a full 16 minutes into the game. The Toreros answered right back and UCSB was down by five again before closing out the half outscoring San Diego 4-2 to get to within three goals at halftime. The second half was the opposite for momentum and the endurance of UCSB showed as the Gauchos outscored San Diego 6-3 that half. UCSB had two shots on goal in the closing moments that might have won it in regulation but were turned away be senior goalie Carly Matsumoto (Lihue, HI). Matsumoto finished with 23 saves through regulation and overtime. UCSB outshot San Diego 30-26. 

"We looked fitter in the second half and in the overtime," added Ramsey. 

UCSB goalie Megan Hughes (Santa Ana, CA) had 12 saves, including 1 in the first overtime that got UCSB to the second overtime for Evans to win it. The Gaucho attack broke a San Diego clear during that overtime stretch to keep their chances alive. Junior Lori Marchildon (Haddonfield, NJ) blocked a pass and scooped it up to get the ball back down on offense for UCSB. Earlier sophomore Cailan Howey (Charlotte, NC) stripped a Torero in the UCSB defensive end to take the ball away there too. Ultimately it took these three defensive plays for UCSB to win in the overtime. Three Gauchos scored three goals apiece. Evans was one of them and sophomore Amanda Shoemaker (Poway, CA ) and freshman Claire Wilson (Healdsburg, CA) were the other two. Wilson came straight to the field from the emergency room where she had been diagnosed and treated for strep throat but chose to play anyway despite the discomfort.

UCSB improved to 11-6 overall and quite importantly are winners of six of their last seven games. The loss in that stretch came at the hands of 5th ranked UCLA in the WWLL semifinals and three of the five wins are over ranked teams, including then 3rd ranked Santa Clara. As the U.S. Lacrosse WCLA national championship selection committee mulls over at-large candidates the 6 of 7 stretch amid one of the toughest schedules in the country should help the Gauchos. Thirteen of seventeen UCSB games were played against ranked opponents.