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UCSB Upends 2nd Ranked Cal Poly SLO

Box Score

Feb. 26, 2009

Santa Barbara, CA - Fifth ranked UCSB rode a strong first half performance and played well in over-time to upset 2nd ranked Cal Poly SLO in a Thursday night match at UCSB Harder Stadium. Two young teams ranked in the upper echelons of the WDIA yet again battled it out in what seems to always be a classic show-down when the two teams meet. The Gauchos led 6-5 at half-time and then had a three goal lead three separate times during the second half with scores of 8-5, 10-7 and 12-9. Reserve attacker Matty Evoy-Mount (Davis, CA) entered the game with ten minutes left in the first half and responded with two goals for her teammates. The first came when junior Samantha Lutz (San Diego, CA) gave Evoy-Mount a pass she converted into a goal with 7:34 to go in the half. It was the first of 3 assists by Lutz who contributed to the next UCSB scoring play by assisting senior Katie Moran (San Rafael, CA). Evoy-Mount scored her second goal unassisted with 1:03 remaining in the half, giving UCSB their 6-5 half-time lead.

The Gauchos put together a strong first 25 minutes in the second half against the 2nd ranked team in the country and the result was a 12-9 lead when Lutz assisted junior Maggie Aker (Oakland, CA) with 11 minutes remaining in the game. However, the last four minutes of the game almost undid it all for the Gauchos. The score remained at 12-9 in favor of UCSB for almost 7 minutes after the Lutz to Aker connection until an unassisted goal by previously silent Megan Michels of Cal Poly SLO with 3:53 remaining in the game got the Mustangs to within two goals. Less than a minute later Keli Park scored on a solo effort to get her first and only goal of the game and cut the UCSB lead to 12-11 with 2:42 left in regulation. A UCSB time-out did little to slow the surging Mustangs. Ashley Royer scored her first goal of the game with 1:14 left and knotted it. Three Cal Poly SLO players who had yet to score in the game each got a goal apiece in a four minute span to bring their team back and tie it at 12-12.

UCSB stymied the Mustangs' momentum by scoring the first goal of regulation over-time. Cal Poly SLO junior Bonnie Burtis (Davis, CA) then scored unassisted off a midfield ground ball and dash to the cage to tie it again. That, however, only set up the closing minute heroics by UCSB attacker Ashley Antoon-Algieri (San Ramon, CA). The sophomore beat her player, weaved through another two Mustangs and then buried a bounce shot to get the game winner with 24 seconds left in the over-time.

"They did the same thing in semifinals of the national championship tournament last year," said head coach Paul Ramsey after the game. "We went up 8-7 in that game with less than 3 minutes to go, it was ours to win and then they tied it with 7 seconds left."

"Good teams will always play to the final whistle but great teams find a way to win when they're not supposed to win. The difference here today was we responded in this over-time opportunity and did not let their late string of goals rattle us," continued Ramsey.

The Mustangs outshot the Gauchos 26-20 but UCSB won the ground ball battle 20-18 and draw controls 16-13. Freshman goalie Jeni Centner (Tustin, CA) had 9 saves, including one in over-time, in a game where neither set of goalies was over 50% for saves playing under the lights at Harder Stadium. Helping Centner out was a tight marking UCSB defense that aggressively double teamed the ball. Senior Selina Eadie (Davis, CA) had a monster night with 6 caused turn-overs and 6 ground balls. Moran had 3 caused turnovers and 3 ground balls to go with 2 goals and 2 assists. Aker and Cruse had 3 goals each for dual Gaucho hat tricks.

UCSB improves to 7-2 with nine regular season games remaining. The Gauchos next face UC San Diego in a 1pm game on Saturday on Rob Field Turf. Cal Poly SLO drops to 5-2 and does not play again until March 14th when they host Chico State.