For 42 minutes and 22 seconds, UCSB led the top-ranked team in the country. After that, things went downhill. In front of a raucous crowd of 7,408 fans at Harder Stadium, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons scored six goals in the final 45:48 to crush the Gauchos 6-2. The defeat was Santa Barbara’s worst home loss ever in coach Tim Vom Steeg’s 10-year tenure, and a far cry from the penalty kick shootout victory the Gauchos achieved the last time these two teams met.

“We were outplayed in every aspect of the game,” senior forward and co-captain Chris Pontius said of the loss. “They were more organized, they worked harder … they were very talented.”

UCSB got on the board first in the second minute, when veteran striker Nick Perera took a well-placed pass from freshman midfielder Bryan Dominguez and rocketed a shot past Deacon keeper Akira Fitzgerald. The goal was Perera’s first of the season, and gave the Gauchos a lead before many fans could even take their seats.

“It may have been too early,” Perera said. “We might have gotten too comfortable. If you score early, you can get a little bit lazy.”

After the goal, the Gauchos did seem to let Wake Forest take control of the match. However, despite maintaining possession for the majority of the first half and out-shooting Santa Barbara, the Deacons were unable to find the back of the net until the 45th minute – just 48 seconds before halftime. Hermann Trophy candidate Marcus Tracy threaded a pass into midfielder Corben Bone, who snuck the ball past Gaucho goalie Trond Takset and into the netting to tie things at one goal apiece.

“The thing that killed us was giving up that goal at the end of the first half, because it gave them the momentum at halftime,” Pontius said.

Perera agreed. “You go into halftime up 1-0 at home in front of a massive crowd and Wake Forest is panicking. Instead, at the end of the half everybody seemed to kind of lose their heads.”

The second half showcased that lost momentum, as well as the enormous talent of the Demon Deacons. Wake forest scored in the 50th, 57th, 67th and 69th minutes to take a commanding 5-1 lead. Bone and Tracy led the way for the Deacons, with each netting a goal and two assists.

In the 78th minute the Gauchos struck back on a Chris Pontius free kick, but it was too little too late. Pontius’ team-leading sixth goal of the season only cut the Wake Forest lead to three, and nine minutes later the Deacons would put in the final goal of the night to win the match 6-2.

The loss came after what had been a solid victory just days before, when UCSB beat the previously undefeated Evansville Purple Aces 4-2 to snap a two-game skid. Pontius scored twice for UCSB, but it was Martin Hedevag’s second goal of the season that won the game for the Gauchos. Hedevag took a corner kick from freshman Danny Barrera and headed it hard into the net to break a 2-2 tie.

After the weekend split, UCSB’s record now stands at 5-3, with just two games remaining before Big West play. The Gauchos take on perennial powers Indiana and UCLA on the road before facing off against UC Irvine to kick off the conference season. Santa Barbara hopes to have their season on track by then.

“Wake Forest was a learning experience, and we won’t face another team like them,” Pontius said, “but Indiana would be a very good time to turn it around.”