UCSB scored twice in a 34-second span during a three-goal first half and finished the job on Saturday night, blanking Cal State Bakersfield, 3-0, in a Big West men’s soccer match on Saturday night at Harder Stadium.
It was a more satisfying result for the Gauchos, who were coming off a disappointing 1-1 home draw against UC Irvine, when they allowed the tying goal with 15 seconds left in regulation.
Saturday’s win gives UCSB a 7-3-3 overall record and a 3-0-1 mark in the Big West. Bakersfield is 2-5-0 and 2-2-0.
The Gauchos struck twice in the 21st minute. Ameyawu Muntari scored the first one. He collected a pass from Rigoberto Barragan in the upper left corner of the penalty area, pushed the ball between two defenders with his left foot and blasted a right-footed shot that deflected off a Bakersfield defender and past goalkeeper Sucre Herrera.
Thirty-four seconds later, the Gauchos forced a turnover in the midfield and Thaabit Baartman started a counterattack. He fed a through ball to a sprinting Salvador Aguilar, with Bakersfield center back Eric Whelan giving chase. Whelan attempted to poke the ball back to his goalkeeper, but Herrera was rushing off his line and didn’t expect the back pass. That allowed Aguilar to go in alone and kick the ball into the open net for a 2-0 lead.
Bakersfield nearly scored in the 37th minute as UCSB goalkeeper Leroy Zeller got tangled up with a Roadrunners’ player in front of the goal, leaving Michael Vogel with a wide-open shot from about 12 yards. Vogel’s blast, however, hit the underside of the cross bar and bounced outside the goal line. Another shot from outside the box went wide.
The Gauchos made it 3-0 in the 43rd minute on Finn Ballard McBride’s seventh goal of the season, tying him for the Big West lead.
Diran Bebekian crossed the ball to Ramses Martinez, whose shot was blocked by a defender. The ball bounced right to McBride, who put it away.
Zeller made big saves on shots by Aodan O’Hara and Justin Markus to preserve the shutout.
The Gauchos hit the road on Wednesday at UC San Diego.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.