A sea of blue flooded UC Santa Barbara’s Harder Stadium for the Blue-Green Rivalry match between the UC Santa Barbara and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo men’s soccer teams, which ended in a 0-0 draw.
The Gauchos are currently 4-0-2 at home and are ranked No. 22 in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. The Oct. 6 match extended the Gauchos’ 12-year unbeaten run in their rivalry against Cal Poly, along with maintaining their undefeated home game status this season. UCSB played Cal Poly in a non-conference game back in September, where they lost to the Cal Poly Mustangs for the first time in six years.
The Oct. 6 game set the stage for Gaucho redemption. However, a series of missteps early in the game negatively affected UCSB’s team. Freshman defensive midfielder Manu Duah was knocked down at the 14th minute and was forced off the field due to leg injury. Duah was replaced by senior midfielder Mikkel Goeling.
Duah’s absence was detrimental to the team’s performance as he is one of the strongest defenders on the team, according to UCSB Head Coach Tim Vom Steeg.
“What happened was when we lost Manu [Duah], we really had to scramble because he’s played every minute of every game this year at that position,” said Steeg.
Strong defensive efforts from both sides prevented any goals but offense fell short. There was palpable excitement at the 37th minute when UCSB sophomore defender Andrew Kamienski took control of the ball, but that excitement was short-lived.
Fog rolled into Harder Stadium as the first half came to a close, with both teams getting close but neither of them scoring. Halftime featured dance performances from the UCSB Cheer Team and Dance Team. Players from the 2004 UCSB men’s soccer team that finished as NCAA national runners-up were honored in between performances.
The crowd became antsy as the second half opened, with the majority of the entire student section on their feet throughout the game. Per tradition (and to the dismay of UCSB Athletics), tortillas were thrown from the stands and onto the field throughout the match. Students started chants in sync with music from the Gaucho Pep Band, often poking fun at the opposition. Also spotted in the crowd were demonstrations of strong school spirit — some students even painting themselves blue and yellow to support the Gauchos.
The second half allowed more opportunities for strong offensive attempts from UCSB. Freshman midfielder Calle Mollerberg’s shot ended up bouncing off the bar and sophomore forward Isaiah Barber’s shot efforts were saved by Cal Poly’s goalie twice.Things grew tense throughout this game, with multiple on-field spats taking place. At the 73rd minute, one particular tussle involving multiple players resulted in referee interference, an indicator of the high-pressure rivalry between the two schools.
In the last five minutes, UCSB neared close to securing a goal, which would’ve meant a win for the Gauchos. Ultimately, neither team ended up scoring as the second half came to a close, and the game ended how it started in a 0-0 draw.
In a post-game interview, senior forward Alexis Ledoux commented on the team’s performance. “I think we were just unlucky not to finish any goals tonight, we just have to stay after it,” he said. “There are nights where it’s not going to get in, and unfortunately tonight was one of those.”
While fans drained out of the stadium disappointed in the rivalry match, the draw allows UCSB men’s soccer to continue its 12-year unbeaten run against Cal Poly in the Blue-Green Rivalry conference matches, an impressive feat. The match was also attended by a record-breaking number of 9,985 fans, making it the most attended NCAA men’s soccer match so far this season.
The UCSB men’s soccer team is set to travel to UC Irvine on Oct. 12. They will host UC Davis at Harder Stadium on Oct. 16.
This appeared in the October 10th printed edition of the Daily Nexus
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