Haley Phillips is no stranger to big moments. Last year, it was her goal in penalty kicks that sent UCSB women’s soccer to the Big West Championship — a game they later won.
The senior again came up clutch in an important moment Thursday night at Harder Stadium when the Gauchos hosted Cal Poly for the annual Blue-Green Rivalry game.
Less than 30 seconds after an opposing score tied the game in the 72nd minute, Phillips corralled a loose ball from the keeper and framed herself perfectly, firing a shot to the back post to put UCSB back in front, helping pave the way for a 3-1 victory for the Gauchos.
With the win, UCSB extends its winning streak to seven, currently boasting an 8-1-1 mark overall. More importantly, it gives the Gauchos a 1-0 start to conference play, Phillips said.
“Winning this first game is crucial for us,” Phillips said. “Last year, it gave us a lot of momentum going into the rest of conference play, so I think it was really important to get this win.
“We stressed the importance of it, not just because of rivals, but because getting three points on the board in the first game will give us confidence going forward.”
The Gauchos’ seven-game win streak is the longest since 2016, when the team opened the season 8-0. It also extended the team’s unbeaten streak to nine games. The loss was the first of the season for the Mustangs, falling to 2-1-7.
“What a streak does is it relieves a little pressure. It gives you confidence that when things aren’t going well, you just feel like a goal is coming,” UCSB head coach Paul Stumpf said.
“The word momentum is a very real thing. Sometimes it’s choppy, but when you happen to get the boulder rolling downhill like it is right now, it just feels like it’s going to keep coming.”
The Gauchos certainly started the game with momentum, as in the sixth minute, Phillips nearly scored a goal, hitting the top of the crossbar.
Throughout the first 45 minutes, UCSB was in control, dominating the early stages of the first half, maintaining offensive pressure with multiple corner kicks and shots on goal.
That all came to fruition in the 37th minute, when Chayse Yu controlled a deflected pass in the box. Yu then shot the ball off a Cal Poly defender, and it rolled into the net for a 1-0 Gaucho lead. The goal was Yu’s second of the season.
The second half, however, was a much different story. Seeing their game plan not working as intended, Cal Poly opted to add another move, one of their wings higher, opting for a 4-attacking system.
As such, it was the Mustangs putting the pressure relentlessly, attempting four shots in the first 20 minutes of the second half.
The defense finally broke on the fifth shot attempt as Cal Poly’s Sam Walker lobbed a beautiful pass into the left wing.
The Mustangs’ Madelyn Dougherty then put it away with a header to the far post, away from UCSB keeper Maddie Buckley, leveling the score at 1-1 in the 73rd minute.
“Their changes took us, as a staff, a little bit of time to identify it. Once we did, it took us a little time to adjust, and by that point, they had really gained some momentum, and a team like theirs thrives off that energy,” Stumpf said.
The Gauchos put a stop to that momentum just 22 seconds later. UCSB’s Natalie Sheffey received a pass and put a strong shot on target from just outside the box.
Cal Poly’s keeper hit the ball out, but it was a cutting Phillips who was in the right place at the right time and made her mark on the game, knocking in her second goal of the year.
“It felt great to respond like that. I mean, to only be tied for 20 seconds is a great, great thing,” Phillips said. “Even after they scored, we all kept positive, and we knew we had to get another one quickly, because this is a team that has tied a lot of games and worked really hard to keep that draw. So it was really good that we came back so quickly.”
“I don’t think the word massive is enough to describe that goal,” Stumpf said.
From that point forward, UCSB was able to recontrol possession of the game. Cal Poly had their chances, but UCSB was always there.
UCSB defender Zoe Franks made a key stop in the 78th minute, as a through ball found a Cal Poly player inside the box. Franks pinched her down, not allowing her to get a shot attempt off.
The Gauchos’ final goal came in the 90th, as junior Olivia Howard scored her team-high fifth goal of the season, knocking in a shot from about midfield after Cal Poly’s keeper came up in an attempt to help the team get an equalizer.
With the win, UCSB now turns its attention to Weber State in its final non-conference tune-up game of the season. Stumpf said the team will be looking to play some of its younger players and possibly get some of the veterans some rest before the rest of the Big West gauntlet.
“We’re going to think long and hard as a staff about personnel on Sunday, but this is a very talented, deep team and I think we can make some rotations and still be a very competitive D1 team,” Stumpf said.
UCSB will host Weber State at noon on Sunday at Harder Stadium.