This wasn’t the way the UC Santa Barbara’s men’s soccer team expected things to go in its Big West opener on Wednesday at Harder Stadium.
The Gauchos struggled at finishing scoring chances, conceded a second-half goal on a defensive miscue and had a key player ejected after having a man advantage in an upsetting 1-1 draw with Sacramento State at Harder Stadium.
The result extended UCSB’s winless streak to three games and marked the eighth match out of 10 in which it scored just one goal.
“Take your pick,” said a frustrated UCSB coach Tim Vom Steeg of the team’s shortcomings in a match against an opponent that was picked to finish last in the Big West and was ranked 205th out of 213 NCAA Division 1 programs.
The draw felt like a loss to Vom Steeg, whose 54th-ranked team was tabbed as the favorite to win the Big West.
“It’s shocking,” he said.
The Gauchos (4-3-3, 0-1-1) controlled the majority of the match as they gave the Hornets (3-5-1, 0-0-1) fits with a high-pressing defense, dangerous runs by Sacramento State transfer Donovan Sessoms and some quality crosses into the box.
But they were stymied by the lack of quality on the finishing and the fine goalkeeping of Sacramento’s Lucas Bost. He finished with eight saves.
“We had 23 shots tonight and the only goal we scored was a PK,” said Vom Steeg.
UCSB outshot Sacramento State 23-11, had 10 shots on goal compared to five and a 12-2 advantage on corner kicks.
Steiner Björnsson drew the penalty from Sacramento’s Gio Ceja in the box and beat Bost on the subsequent spot kick for a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute.
The Gauchos appeared to have the Hornets on the ropes in the last five minutes of the first half but they couldn’t finish the plays. Zac Siebenlist missed a chance with an open net in the 41st minute and had a one-time volley off a Martin Ødegaard cross denied on a terrific save by Bost.
UCSB had other good looks either saved or go off target in the second half.
The missed opportunities kept Sacramento State in the game, and the Hornets finally capitalized for the equalizing goal. Spark-plug forward Zac Giles broke free on the right side, avoided a tackle and crossed the ball to Sean Battistessa at the far post for the finish in the 59th minute.
The Gauchos have been prone to defensive mishaps that the opponents have turned into goals this season.
“Just because of the way we’ve been playing this year, we’re just good for a bad mistake,” said Vom Steeg. “Half the time it’s us turning the ball over. We didn’t make that one (tonight) but you know when a guy runs out of midfield, you just stand him up and run with him and you’re fine. And there we go. So I don’t know… We’ll just have to go back to getting shutouts.”
The Gauchos had a couple chances to regain the lead. In the 76th minute, Sessoms had a free kick just outside the box blocked by a defender and a rebound attempt by Ty Branigan was saved. A minute later, Ødegaard set up Sessoms for a good look that was hit wide of the mark.
UCSB then got a big break on a steal as Björnsson fed Sessoms for a rush on goal. The Gaucho forward was clipped from behind by Ceja, the last defender, just outside the box. Ceja was given a red card and the Gauchos were awarded a free kick. Sessoms tapped the ball to Björnsson whose shot was blocked by the Sacramento defense. ¨Ødegaard got another crack at goal and sent his shot over the bar.
UCSB’s frustration reached a boiling point in the 80th minute when Björnsson was booked with back-to-back yellow cards and ejected from the game. That left both teams with 10 players.
The Gauchos created two more chances on corner kicks in the last three minutes but they ended with headers going over the crossbar.
“Obviously, whatever this is it’s not working right now. I just can’t get goals out of this team,” said Vom Steeg. “Wait till you see Utah (Valley, the next opponent). (They) play a 5-4-1 and everybody’s 6-2, so it’s a different ballgame. You think we had trouble scoring tonight? I mean, we’re not getting 23 shots, you know. So yeah, it’s a problem on Saturday because we’re going to have to play better and be better.”
