Agustina Carrizo
Contributing Writer
On Thursday, Nov. 21, the UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) men’s soccer team traveled south to Los Angeles ahead of the first match of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament against UC Los Angeles (UCLA). After an unfortunate loss against UC Davis in the Big West Final, which put an end to their 12-game unbeaten run, the Gauchos were fighting for a win.
For a majority of the first half, the Gauchos were stronger than their opponents, controlling the game: by the first 30 minutes, the team had nine shots on goal, while UCLA’s Bruins had only one. The end of the first half ended scoreless, but the Gauchos weren’t backing down. Early in the second half, junior forward Nicolas Willumsen wasted no time getting yet another shot on target, though it wasn’t enough for a goal. The Bruins seemed to find their way into the game in the second half, getting more shots on goal and challenging Santa Barbara’s keeper, senior David Mitzner, who saved all of UCLA’s chances, leaving the second half with an even score of 0-0.
As a result of the tie, the game went into overtime, but the Gauchos were not deterred. By the 97th minute, Willumsen ripped a shot, scoring the beautiful game-winning goal from just outside the penalty box. He was assisted by sophomore midfielder Kaden Standish, who had entered the game just a few minutes prior.
As a result of their win, the team moved forward in the NCAA tournament, and their next game was set for Sunday, Nov. 24 against Stanford – another game away from home. The Sunday night game against Stanford was one to remember. From the start, the Gauchos had to be strong defensively, with their opponents creating chance after chance with ten shots in the opening minutes of the match.
Despite their best efforts, UCSB was down 2-0 by the end of the first half, with Stanford scoring in the 33rd and 45th minutes. Still, the team didn’t back down. Coming back from halftime, the Gauchos came out strong, and it didn’t take long for them to create a chance for a goal. Senior defender Haruki Utsumi got the Gauchos’ first goal in the 50th minute. His first shot on goal was blocked, but he was able to gain control of the rebound and get the ball in the net. As the second half ticked by, the Gauchos had created plenty of opportunities to score, all of them falling short. In the 70th minute, the team was awarded a penalty kick, which was unfortunately saved by Stanford’s keeper.
Santa Barbara didn’t back down, pushing forward until the last minute. Just 13 seconds before the end of the match, the Gauchos found their equalizer. Junior midfielder Filip Basili played a cross into the box, where freshman forward Zac Siebenlist was able to put his head to it, his header sending the ball past the keeper and into the goal.
As the final whistle blew, both teams had to prepare to go into overtime. Both teams were able to get some shots in, but their attempts weren’t enough. The 20-minute overtime period ended in the same 2-2 draw, so the game would go into penalty kicks.
The Gauchos were kicking first. Mikkel Goeling was the first player to step up to the penalty spot, which he made. Both teams scored their first three penalties, but the fourth was when it went downhill for UCSB. The Gauchos missed their fourth penalty; Stanford made theirs, so UCSB was down by one. Santa Barbara’s Alexis Ledoux stepped up and made the fifth penalty. If Stanford’s attempt was successful, they’d take the game.
Stanford’s player stepped up, took his shot, and it was saved by Santa Barbara’s keeper, keeping the Gauchos in the game and leading to a sudden-death shootout. Both teams made their sixth shot, but the Gauchos’ seventh attempt was saved by Stanford’s keeper. In order for UCSB to stay alive, Stanford’s shot had to be saved or missed. The seventh Stanford player made his shot, sending the Gauchos home from the tournament.
The penalty shootout ended 6-5, Stanford missing one shot and Santa Barbara missing two. The match put an unfortunate end to the Gauchos’ incredible season, despite the team’s heroic performance and comeback.