SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — UC Santa Barbara Women’s Soccer got back in the win column and defeated UC Irvine 1-0 on Wednesday night.

UC Santa Barbara scored in the first half and held UCI scoreless, with Maddie Buckley making three saves over 90 minutes and earning her sixth clean sheet of the season.

The Gauchos finished with an 11-7 shot advantage and generated seven corner kicks to UCI’s one.

“We challenged our girls and said we need a response,” said UCSB head coach Paul Stumpf. “Wednesday night, we had two very good days of practice, and the response was clear tonight. Shutting out a very talented team, finally getting a goal, Maddie [Buckley] wasn’t threatened too much at all.

“I felt we had a couple of really good looks at the goal, and was very pleased about the character, the culture, and the chemistry of this group.”

UC Santa Barbara took a 1-0 lead in the first half when Ava Jarolimek scored in the 21st minute. Earlier, UC Santa Barbara generated two corner kicks in the opening two minutes and had attempts from Jarolimek and Caitlyn Simons before breaking through.

Maddie Buckley protected the advantage shortly after the goal, saving a shot toward the bottom left of the goal. UC Santa Barbara added a late first-half look from Hayden Halscheid in the 41st minute, but the half ended with UC Santa Barbara ahead 1-0.

Buckley made two early saves as UC Santa Barbara absorbed the Anteaters’ second-half pressure and kept the visitors off the board. After UCI took the first five shots of the half, the Gauchos answered with a stretch that started in the 65th minute that included Caitlyn Simons’ saved attempt, Sophia Moness’ shot and two corner kicks.

UC Santa Barbara continued to push later in the half, with Simons and Olivia Howard forcing saves from the Irvine keeper. Alondra Talamantes added two more attempts, but still the Gauchos could not break through. Buckley and the Gauchos saw out the scoreless half, and UC Santa Barbara finished with a 1-0 win to bounce back from their loss.

UC Santa Barbara will get ready to host UC San Diego on Saturday, October 17. The Gauchos and Tritons are currently tied in The Big West standings with a 3-1-2 record.

UCSB and UCSD will kick off at 7 p.m. with the match streamed on ESPN+ with live stats also available.