Kate Shoemaker scored an unassisted first half goal, and the UCSB women’s soccer team (11-2-2 overall, 2-1-1 in the Big West) held on to beat Cal State Fullerton (6-9-0, 3-2-0) 2-1 in a Big West match at Harder Stadium on Sunday.
Shoemaker ended a scoreless tie in the 33rd minute, heading down a Dakota Griggs corner kick from the right side and cracking a shot that was blocked by a Titan defender. The Gaucho junior, however, stayed with the play, rebounded her own shot and put the next shot just inside the left post for her first goal of the season.
UCSB made it 2-0 in the 59th minute when Sydney Magnin crossed a ball into the box from the right side to Griggs, who touched it past the left side of Titan goalkeeper Jennifer Stuart.
Fullerton halved the lead at the 87:21 mark when Sarah Fajnor converted a penalty kick to the right of Santa Barbara goalkeeper Brittney Rogers after one of her teammates was taken down in the box.
With the score 2-1, however, there was little nail-biting as the Titans never threatened the rest of the way.
“It’s a big quality win against a very good team,” said head coach Paul Stumpf. “Getting four points this weekend (which included Thursday’s 1-1 draw at Cal Poly) is great for us. It takes a huge bit of pressure off of us, and now we go to Riverside on Friday, and they are struggling a bit. This win also starts getting the momentum rolling again after a loss and a tie.”
The Gauchos had a 13-7 shot advantage for the match, but just a narrow 5-4 edge in shots on goal. All four of the Titan’s shots on-frame came in the second half. Both Rogers and Stuart recorded three saves on the afternoon.
UCSB will play three of its final four regular season matches on the road, beginning next week with games on Oct. 21 at UC Riverside and Oct. 23 at UC Irvine. The Gauchos’ final home game will be Thursday, Oct. 27 when they host UC Davis in a 7:00 p.m. match at Harder Stadium. The contest against the Aggies will be Senior Night.