The UC Santa Barbara men’s soccer team faced off against California State University, Bakersfield on Saturday, Oct. 11. This match resulted in a 1-1 tie, keeping the Gauchos on top in the Big West Conference.

The Gauchos opened up the first half with a plan to hold possession and create opportunities, and they did just that. Not only did UCSB maintain 62% of the possession, but they also had 4 shots on goal in the first half that all came close but were either blocked or just missed. Though opportunities were made, none were capitalized on, and the first half whistle blew with a score of 0-0.

To open the first half, the Gauchos maintained their aggressiveness. This paid off when, in minute 51, graduate forward Buba Fofanah got the ball off of a corner kick and began to make his way through multiple Roadrunner defenders. Fofanah was able to find space away from the defenders and shoot the ball through the legs of the CSUB keeper and into the back of the net. This made the score 1-0 in favor of UCSB.

After the Gauchos scored, the CSUB Roadrunners picked up the pace with the goal of an equalizer. Freshman goalkeeper Owen Beninga — who was on an impressive shutout streak, not allowing a single goal in the last 4 games — did well to defend, making three impressive saves into the late minutes of the second half. 

The Gauchos stood firm against the Roadrunners who were hungry to tie this game until minute 80, when a Bakersfield player found the back of the net off of a header from a free kick. This goal tied the game up 1-1, and neither side was able to put together a game — winning goal in the remaining minutes of the second half. 

“You know, up until now, one goal has been good enough,” UCSB Head Coach Tim Vom Steeg said. “We just got tired. We had a really hard game [at UC Davis], and our bus broke down so we had to stay the night and didn’t get in until the next day. It was just a tired group … We got the goal and then we just ran out of defenders.”

The UC Santa Barbara men’s soccer team is set to face off in an away game against their rivals, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 4 p.m.