Gauchos Submarine San Diego State 17-12
The Gauchos scored first and led 9-5 at halftime. Junior Mari Cajandig (Davis, CA) scored the first two goals for UCSB. Both times she was fouled on her way to goal the attacker scored her free position shot. Not to be outdone teammate Echo Meyers (Laguna Niguel, CA) followed up by scoring two goals unassisted. The sophomore attacker evaded everyone on both her dodges to goal. San Diego State scored an unassisted goal in the middle of that but it was 6-1 in favor of UCSB sixteen minutes into the game. Toward the end of the half UCSB had the ball and were up 9-3 but a mental lapse on offense resulted in a turnover and the Aztecs used that ball to fast break to a goal. Then they won the draw control and scored with 1 second left before the intermission to pull to within 9-5. "We were playing quite well overall but took the ball into the middle in a situation we coach everyone not to," commented UCSB head coach Paul Ramsey. "It's not the first time it's happened and it's mostly occurring when we get a tired midfielder having to make the decision in that situation." "We need more presence there and we need off-ball teammates quarterbacking it better with good communication." Later UCSB was leading 17-10 as the game was almost in the books. A small defensive let down in intensity allowed San Diego State to score two goals in the closing moments there too. Without those waning moment lapses UCSB wins 17-8, or more if some smarter possessions were productive and the Gauchos play like it is 0-0 every minute of the game. Freshman Cyrena Malkowski (Lake Forest, CA) had 13 saves in 60 minutes of play and got the win. "This is where our lapses are truly not fair to a teammate," continued Ramsey. Cyrena was pretty much left alone in those situations and without those four goals against her she is about 62% in this game. Instead she was 52%." As UCSB progresses toward championship level play, and it's starting to look like they can, the ability to focus and re-focus to head off lapses will become paramount for success. At that point of the season it won't be about whether someone achieved one level or another of statistics. It will be about the ultimate team achievement. "We're getting there," concluded Ramsey. Cajandig led all scorers with 6 goals and Sabbag had 4 goals and 1 assist. The early goals by Cajandig and Meyers led to San Diego State alternating shut-off assignments on them but then Sabbag stepped up and the Gauchos also had three goals scored by reserves coming off the bench. Seven UCSB players scored at least one goal. San Diego State leading scorer Nicole Willis (Yorba Linda, CA) had four goals. Draw controls proved crucial for UCSB in the second half and that's where Maddy Montague (Aliso Niguel, CA) came up with three of her five in the game. The Aztecs won 16 of the 31 draws in the game but Montague came up with some timely controls part way through the second half that stymied Aztec momentum. Juniors Cailan Howey (Charlotte, NC) and Kelsey Trepa (San Marcos, CA) had 4 and 3 ground balls, respectively. UCSB improved to 6-3 with the win while San Diego State dropped to 5-2. The Gauchos continue their long running Blue-Gold Rivalry when they host Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Friday night in a 7:00pm game at the Recreation Center Sports Complex turf. The Aztecs play next when they host top ranked UCLA on Saturday.
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San Diego, CA - UCSB capped off their road trip south by upsetting the club from San Diego State in a game the Gauchos led from start to finish en route to a 17-12 success. The win followed the 15-14 come from behind win at University of San Diego on Friday night. The Aztecs were 5-1 coming into the contest and 6th in the RPI compared to the UCSB 23rd spot in the RPI. Copyright 2024 - UCSB Womens Lacrosse | Website by LaxTeams.net