⚽️ @UCSBMensSoccer equalizes late!
A gorgeous ball in from Jorge Aldana finds the head of Salvador Aguilar and the Gauchos are all tied up 1-1 with No. 19 Missouri St. pic.twitter.com/jdBN7n4bj9
— UCSB Athletics (@UCSBathletics) August 26, 2022
A spectacular leaping save by UCSB goalkeeper Leroy Zeller with time running out in regulation preserved a 1-1 tie against 19-ranked Missouri State Thursday in a men’s soccer match in Springfield, Mo.
And under a new NCAA rule, that was all she wrote as there are no more overtimes in non-tournament games.
The game was a season-opening matchup of two conference winners and NCAA tournament teams from last year, both featuring stingy defenses. Missouri State was tops in the Missouri Valley and UCSB in the Big West.
UCSB, returning 10 of 11 starters from last year, surrendered a first-half goal from the Bears’ Jesus Barea, a native of Cadiz, Spain, on a cross from Aadne Bruseth of Norway with just over 12 minutes to go to the break.
The heavily international Missouri State roster includes just one U.S. native.
The Gauchos scored the equalizer in the 74th minute on an acrobatic leaping header to the left corner by forward Salvador Aquilar on a long pass from Jorge Aldana.
About seven minutes later, a foul on UCSB junior forward Finn Ballard McBride gave Missouri State a penalty kick. The Bears’ Nicolo Mulatero nailed the shot, but in an extremely close call, the referee ruled that he’d taken too much of a pause between steps on his approach to the ball and nullified the goal.
Both teams missed attempts in the last minutes, and the game appeared to be running out when the Bears got a last-chance shot.
With less than a minute to play, a Bears throw-in found Irish sophomore forward James Jennings about 12 feet out on the left side. His shot looked like a winner, until the 6-foot-5 Zeller leaped up at the right moment and knocked it over the goal.
The game stats were even too, with both teams credited with five shots and three saves.
Early defensive plays included a save from Bears goalie Harry Townsend, from Cornwall, England, on a diving stop of a strong shot by Gaucho sophomore midfielder Filip Basili, from Bergen, Norway.
UCSB takes a quick flight home and plays Cal Baptist on Sunday at Harder Stadium at 7 p.m.