UC Santa Barbara’s dependable contributors Kevin Feucht and Nick DePuy scored goals to lift the Gauchos to a 2-1 comeback Big West soccer win at UC Davis on Wednesday.
Their seventh straight victory clinched the 14th postseason berth in the past 15 seasons for the Gauchos and put them in the driver’s seat for a fourth straight Big West North Division title. They are undefeated in Big West play at 5-0-2, moving seven points clear of second place Sacramento State, who leapfrogged Davis (7-7-2, 3-4-0) in the division standings.
UCSB needs just one win in its final three games to ensure another division crown and a top seed in the Big West Tournament. The Gauchos host Blue-Green rival Cal Poly in a FOX Sports Prime Ticket-televised showdown at Harder Stadium. Kickoff for that game is scheduled for 8 p.m., an hour later than usual.
UC Davis was first on the board in just the seventh minute as Kyle Higgins redirected a low cross from Noah Wilson at the near post past UCSB goalie Titouan Le Roux.
The Gauchos weren’t able to create any Grade-A chances in the opening 45.
Things changed in the second half as UCSB created a flurry of chances coming midway through the frame.
The Gauchos finally broke through at the 77:59 mark as Ahinga Selemani took advantage of shaky defense. A Josue España ball down the left wing for Randy Mendoza got the play going. Mendoza hit a long cross that went right to Selemani near the far post. Selemani froze his man with a quick move then chipped the ball across the goalmouth to Feucht, who headed home his team- and Big West-leading 10th goal and tied the score at 1-1.
Though the Gauchos couldn’t push across a go-ahead score in regulation, their momentum continued into overtime as DePuy was able to fight and create his UCSB-record 16th career game-winning goal.
Freshman midfielder Lamar Batista was the catalyst for that goal, coming up with a big tackle in the defensive third that knocked the ball loose for teammate Dalton Pando. After a couple of touches, Pando shipped a long but low through ball to DePuy, who beat two men to the ball and beat UC Davis keeper Armando Quezada with a sliding right-footed shot.
DePuy also had a good look earlier in the second half, outmuscling his marker for a header in the 66th minute that went just wide off the post. Quezada came up huge with a close-range sliding stop off a Feucht shot about 10 minutes before his eventual equalizer.