Men’s Soccer claims Blue-Green Rivalry with 3-1 win over Cal Poly

In front of 11,183 fans at Harder Stadium, UC Santa Barbara Men’s Soccer defeated Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, 3-1 on Saturday night, scoring three first half goals to secure the Blue-Green Rivalry series and earn bragging rights over a longtime rival. 

The Gauchos entered the match looking for revenge after losing to the Mustangs in their first meeting of the season in late September. Santa Barbara responded with its strongest performance in recent weeks, extending its unbeaten streak to four matches and securing the rivalry series by a total score of 4-3. The crowd was the largest at an NCAA men’s soccer match this season. 

Santa Barbara wasted little time establishing control, opening the scoring in the 18th minute. After the Gauchos took possession in midfield, sophomore midfielder Jack Middleton flicked the ball to senior forward Donovan Sessoms, who played it ahead to sophomore midfielder Steinar Bjornsson. Despite being knocked down by a defender, Bjornsson recovered and finished past the goalkeeper to give the Gauchos a 1-0 lead. 

Five minutes later, Santa Barbara doubled its advantage. Junior forward Zac Siebenlist brought down a long pass and held off a defender before playing the ball to Bjornsson on the right wing. Bjornsson sent a cross into the penalty area, where Siebenlist arrived to guide the ball into the net for his first goal of the season. 

The Gauchos continued to create chances, while goalkeeper Owen Beninga kept Cal Poly from finding a way back into the match. Beninga made consecutive saves in the 25th and 28th minutes, first stopping a shot to his right before rushing off his line to deny a Mustang attacker in a one-on-one opportunity. 

Santa Barbara added a third goal in the 39th minute to take a commanding lead into halftime. Middleton lifted a pass over the Cal Poly defense, finding senior midfielder Kaden Standish in stride. Standish timed his run to stay onside before striking a left-footed volley into the net, capping off a dominant first half for the Gauchos. 

Despite the three-goal cushion, Santa Barbara still had to up its defense in the second half. Although Cal Poly threatened in the 70th minute, Beninga made another save before senior defender Calle Mollerberg cleared the follow-up attempt near the goal line to preserve the Gauchos’ advantage. 

The Mustangs eventually broke through in the 85th minute, scoring off a rebound after Beninga stopped a long-range shot. The goal cut the deficit to two, but Cal Poly could not build on the momentum, as Santa Barbara held on for the 3-1 victory. 

For head coach Tim Vom Steeg, the performance came at an important moment for a team looking to regain confidence. 

“When you’re not playing well and you’re maybe struggling with some confidence, to play a team like Cal Poly is not a great game for you to regain your confidence,” Vom Steeg said. “But not surprising, you know, you put a bunch of people in the stands, you turn the lights on and it’s Harder Stadium, and some of the magic just came back tonight.”

The night also marked a celebration of the program’s history. As part of Alumni Weekend and the 60th season of UCSB men’s soccer, the Gauchos honored members of their 2006 NCAA national championship team at halftime, marking the 20th anniversary of the title. Vom Steeg said approximately 17 to 18 members of the championship team returned to campus for the occasion, including some who had not visited in two decades. 

Siebenlist, who grew up in San Luis Obispo, said scoring against his hometown team made the goal particularly meaningful. 

“There’s been a lot of individual goals this season for our team, and I think that one was not so much individual, and obviously I was on the end of that ball, but I couldn’t have done it at all without Steinar getting that ball to me,” Siebenlist said.

The victory gives Santa Barbara momentum heading into its next stretch of road games. The Gauchos will travel to Spokane, Washington, to face Gonzaga on Wednesday, Oct. 14, before returning to Big West play against Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, Oct. 17.

Santa Barbara’s next home match is scheduled for Oct. 21 against California Baptist.