News|Schedule / Results|Roster|Officers &Coaches|

UCSB Successful At Surfside Cup With Win Over Claremont

Box Score

Feb. 7, 2010

San Diego, CA - The Gauchos improved to 2-0 with a 10-8 win over Claremont-McKenna in a match that was part of the WomensLax.com Surfside Cup at Rancho Bernardo High School. UCSB led 5-4 at halftime. The Athenas are three-time NCAA DIII post-season participants. It is the third year in a row UCSB has bettered them by two goals. The score in 2008 was 12-10 and the score in 2009 was 16-14.

UCSB opened up the scoring 49 seconds into the game with an unassisted goal from freshman Katie Mitchell (Lafayette, CA).  After some back and forth action Claremont tied it with a goal at the 5:03 mark. Then the Gauchos scored 3 straight over a 5 minute span to take a 4-1 lead. Sophomore Meg Cruse (Encinitas, CA),  senior Maggie Aker (Oakland, CA) and sophomore Megan Dawe (Martinez, CA) scored a goal apiece during the run. The UCSB lead evaporated when the Athenas went on their own 3 goal run to make it 4-4.  Aker scored unassisted with a minute remaining to give UCSB a 5-4 lead at halftime.

A three goal run to start the second half put UCSB up 8-4 and then 9-5 after the two teams traded goals. Claremont rallied and went on their own 3 goal run to pull within one at 9-8 before junior Alyssa Nelsen (Denver, CO) found Mitchell in an unsettled situation after an Aker ground ball that put UCSB up 10-8 with 1:04 left in the game and that was the final score. Sophomore Jeni Center (Tustin, CA) had 4 saves to get the win. Mitchell was all over the place contributing 4 goals, 1 assist, 5 draw controls and 3 ground balls. 

"This is always a competitve game for us and it's fun to play them," commented UCSB head coach Paul Ramsey. "It was nice to go on two big scoring runs like that but we also let them go on their own two big scoring runs."

"We need to be able to go on our runs but focus defensively on stepping up and stopping our opponents from responding."

UCSB had two runs of 3 and 4 goals each while Claremont had two 3 goal runs in the match. If the Gauchos had held the Athens to just one run or capped a run early then it's not a 2 goal win for UCSB but a 4 or 5 goal win.

"That is the point I'd like us to reach in our game, make runs and then play better defense all over the field to distance ourselves and not let the other team back within reach."

UCSB faces 9th ranked Lindenwood at home on Friday in a 4:30pm Harder Stadium match that is part of the 22nd Annual Santa Barbara Shootout Sponsored by Brine. It is a contest of defending conference champions from 2009. The Gauchos won the WWLL Tournament with a 12-10 win over Santa Clara and the Lions won the WCLL with a 10-8 win over Michigan. Both teams enter the game 2-0 in 2010.