Fifth-ranked UCSB scored the last two goals of the game but that wasn’t quite enough to catch visiting fourth-ranked Stanford, which prevailed 10-9 Saturday at Campus Pool.
It was the second time in a week the Gauchos, now 14-4, lost to the Cardinal, dropping a 12-10 game at the MPSF Invitational on Sept. 25.
Senior attacker Sawyer Rhodes, a Santa Barbara High School alum, scored two goals for the Gauchos, as did Cole Brosnan and Nathan Puentes. Santa Ynez High alum Henry Allen, Sam Nangle and Mason McQuet had a goal apiece. Goalie Danny Roland had six saves.
Alle’s goal came in the last few seconds of the first half to tie the score at four.
Tyler Abramson and Quinn Woodhead led Stanford, now 13-2, with three goals apiece.
The teams were tied at four at halftime, before Stanford pulled ahead 9-6 at the end of the third quarter. Stanford led 10-7 with just over five minutes to play, when Rhodes scored for the Gauchos with 5:02 left in the game and Puentes with 3:14 left. That finished the game’s scoring.
The game marked a return to Santa Barbara for Stanford sophomore Ethan Parrish, a former two-time Channel League MVP at Dos Pueblos High School.
The Gauchos host Long Beach State next Saturday at noon at Campus Pool.