The UC Santa Barbara women’s soccer team had their senior night matchup against UC Riverside on Sunday, Oct. 26. The Gauchos defeated the Highlanders 3-1 in a dominant offensive performance.

In the beginning of the first half, the Gauchos came out with an aggressive game plan. This paid off quickly in minute 13 when senior defender Camryn Sailor found the back of the net with assists from senior forward Haley Phillips and sophomore forward Isabella Ong. After this goal, the Gauchos kept the aggression, firing off multiple on-target shots that the Highlanders did well to defend. The rest of the first half was a battle of possession that UCSB took control of but were unable to score. The halftime whistle blew with the Gauchos up 1-0.

To start the second half, the Highlanders came out strong and took the Gaucho defense by surprise. They leveled the score 1-1 in minute 50. UCSB was looking to respond immediately and they did in minute 72 when junior midfielder Sophia Moness scored with an assist from Ong, her second one of the day after assisting the first goal. The Gauchos then led with a 2-1 lead, and they showed no signs of slowing down.

In minute 85, sophomore defender Mya Delaney scored with a header assisted by freshman forward Natalie Sheffey and sophomore midfielder Ava Dermott to make the final score 3-1. The Gauchos dominated offensively and defensively in this match, as they finished the game with a total of 18 shots with 10 of those being on target, while the Highlanders had 5 with 2 on target. This stunning performance from UCSB clinches them a spot in the Big West Tournament bracket.

The UC Santa Barbara women’s soccer team will finish the season at UC San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 30.