UCSB men’s soccer found a much-needed offensive spark Thursday night against Cal State Fullerton, scoring three times in five minutes during the second half to grab an electrifying 5-2 win in the Big West opener at Harder Stadium.
Gaucho forward Rodney Michael, who had remained aggressive through UCSB’s early-season struggles, found his breakthrough match, scoring once and assisting twice to lead his team. After a lackluster start, UCSB has won four straight (one of them in exhibition) to improve to 3-4-2 on the season and 1-0 in conference play. The Titans, who have knocked out the Gauchos in the past two Big West tournaments, fall to 5-4-1.
In a truly chaotic sequence that took place over just one minute of second-half action, the Gauchos scored twice and the Titans once. Over a five minute span, UCSB outscored Fullerton 3-1 to shock a Titans squad that had held the lead before pandemonium struck. The Gauchos’ offense was so frenetic during the run that the UCSB fans, who had packed Harder Stadium for the first match of the school year, were left half-elated, half-stunned when the dust finally settled.
“I thought that second goal really deflated them,” Gauchos head coach Tim Vom Steeg said about the visiting Titans.
“We started celebrating too early (after the 57th minute goal),” said Titans head coach George Kuntz. “They gave up a goal too quickly and lost their composure. You’re up by one and the guys were too excited instead of organizing. It’s a lesson learned.”
A sloppy first-half defensive effort by UCSB left Titan midfielder Mark Hernandez isolated with Gaucho goalie Ricky Montoy at the 15th minute mark. Hernandez capitalized on the moment, dishing a clean cross on the ground to teammate Ross McPhie, who netted Fullerton’s first score.
The Gauchos quickly ramped up their attack and the effort paid off. In the 40th minute, Rodney Michael — easily the Gauchos’ speediest player — raced past a half dozen Titan defenders before zipping the ball to forward Derek Kryzda, who hammered in a shot at an angle for the equalizer.
“The critical thing about Rodney was that he was our most dangerous players through the first seven games,” Vom Steeg said. “But he was an island; he was on his own out there, because we didn’t have any play-making midfielders. Now he’s passing the ball more in situations. I don’t know if he would’ve passed four games ago. He probably would have taken the shot himself.”
Michael himself spoke about his exciting maneuver.
“At first I go slow so the defender doesn’t expect what’s coming next,” he said after the match, “so my outburst of speed surprises them and they can’t keep up with me. I’ve practiced that, and I’m pretty good at it now, I would say.”
Second-half action started quietly, but that quickly changed in the 58th minute, when Titan forward Bass Star fed a corner to his teammate Hernandez, who headed the ball in for his second goal for the night, giving Fullerton a 2-1 lead.
But from there, it was all UCSB. Gaucho forward Sahid Conteh scored on a breakaway at the 58th minute. Not 45 seconds of action later, forward Ignacio Tellechea, finding himself alone with Titan goalie Afredo Cortez, lofted a perfectly angled, neatly-placed shot for the go-ahead score.
The rapid turn of events left the Titans reeling. They had barely caught their breath when, in the 62nd minute, a UCSB sequence of dizzying volley passes put it back in Titan territory. Defender Adrian Adames reverse-kicked the ball — off an assist from teammate Michael — over a cluster of Titans for yet another score. In a matter of minutes, a 2-1 deficit had turned into a 4-2 lead for the surging Gauchos.
As though it were a victory lap, Michael scored his own goal at the 77th minute, punching through a shot in a corner formation to make the UCSB lead insurmountable.
Fullerton tried in vain to fire back, though a few of their attempts came close, including a 79th minute shot by Titan defender Sam Molz rattled over the crossbar. But the Gauchos, who with 5 goals nearly doubled their goals-total for the season, rode the momentum wave to a victory.
“The players are much more comfortable,” Vom Steeg said, “and we’re more comfortable as a staff with knowing where the players can go.”
The UCSB men will continue conference play Saturday at 7:00 p.m. against UC Riverside at Harder Stadium. The Highlanders are winless for the season after dropping their conference opener to Cal Poly Thursday night, 3-1.
— Noozhawk intern Shomik Mukherjee can be reached at smukherjee@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.