On Saturday, Sept. 27, the UC Santa Barbara men’s soccer team had their blue-green rivalry match against California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. This meeting with the Gauchos and Mustangs resulted in an eventful 0-0 tie. This is the 12th straight matchup where UC Santa Barbara remains unbeaten at home when playing Cal Poly.

Though resulting in a tie, the game did not lack intensity from either side of the pitch. The Mustangs brought the pressure first, forcing the Gauchos to step up defensively. Freshman forward Steinar Bjornsson did just that in a tense moment that caught the attention of the 7,447 fans in attendance. A ball that broke through the defensive line and resulted in a shot on an open goal from Cal Poly was saved last minute by a back heel clearance from Bjornsson who had sprinted back to cover with a last second save.

Both defenses remained steady and had an answer each time the opposing offense approached. This continued until minute 35 of the game when the players were forced to clear the Harder Stadium field due to lightning. After about a 30-minute weather delay, the match resumed. With 10 minutes left to play in the half, UCSB picked up the intensity on offense. This resulted in two corner kicks and two shots, but to no avail. The halftime whistle blew and the score remained 0-0.

In the second half, the Gauchos continued to pressure the Mustangs. In minute 71, Graduate forward Buba Fofanah had two shots on goal within the penalty box that challenged the Cal Poly defense, who did well to block the attempt. Fofanah, who was involved in many attacking moments for the Gauchos, totaled three shots in this match.

In the final moments of the game, the Cal Poly offense picked up the pace with motivation to score a stunner and leave victorious. However, freshman goalkeeper Owen Beninga had other plans. Beninga remained composed and in control until the final whistle, which ended the rivalry in a 0-0 tie. Beninga finished the game with five saves and a shutout performance.

“Owen is a player that is the future in terms of our goalkeeping, and we’ve been assuming that we would get him as many games as we could. Tonight was a game where, given the fact that Cal Poly scores probably 90% of their goals on set pieces and drops balls in, he was the right player for us to play tonight,” UCSB Head Coach Tim Vom Steeg said.

The now 2-4-3 UCSB men’s soccer team faces off against UC Riverside next on Saturday, Oct. 4, at Harder Stadium.