FULLERTON, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara Women’s Soccer team saw their nine-match unbeaten streak come to an end with a 5-0 loss to Cal St. Fullerton on Saturday at Titan Stadium.
Despite UC Santa Barbara finishing with an 18-15 shot advantage and putting eight shots on goal, the Gauchos were held scoreless. Fullerton led 1-0 at halftime and scored four times in the second half.
UC Santa Barbara went into halftime down 1-0 after Fullerton scored at the 20-minute mark, but UC Santa Barbara generated a sustained push over the final 13 minutes without finding an equalizer.
Earlier, Chayse Yu forced a save in the fifth minute, and Delilah Vega-Aguilar had another shot saved during a strong sequence that also included an Olivia Howard attempt and two corner kicks. After the Fullerton goal, Maddie Buckley kept the game at a one-goal deficit with a save during some pressure by the Titans.
UC Santa Barbara absorbed additional pressure that included three corners and a shot off the left woodwork. UC Santa Barbara then answered with attempts from Devin Greer and Sophia Moness around the 33rd minute. Greer added two more shots in the closing stretch before a 44:19 corner as the half ended at 1-0.
UC Santa Barbara spent much of the second half chasing the match after the Titans scored at 48:02 and again at 60:55 to move the score to 3-0. The Gauchos answered with a four-shot stretch from 61:32 to 67:04, with Ava Ybarra hitting the woodwork, Yu forcing a save and Greer putting another shot on frame before a UC Santa Barbara corner.
UC Santa Barbara generated another push in the final 16 minutes, including saved shots from Vega-Aguilar, Greer and Ybarra, but Fullerton added goals at 80:17 and 85:13. Isabella Ong and Ybarra each had late attempts, and UC Santa Barbara earned a corner at 88:59 before the match ended with Fullerton ahead 5-0.
The Gauchos will finish the three-match road stretch 1-1-1 and return home to host UC Irvine on Wednesday, October 14 at 6 p.m. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available