Courtesy of UCSB Athletics

On an uncharacteristically rainy Nov. 14 night in Santa Barbara, the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos faced off with the increasingly familiar UC Irvine Anteaters in the Men’s Soccer Big West Championship game for the second time in the past five seasons. Back in 2021, the high-octane Gauchos offense absolutely shredded the Anteaters, winning 4-0 in a rout that was over early in the second half. This time around, as the rain drizzled down upon Harder Stadium, it was a chippy affair all the way to the final whistle. 

Head Coach Tim Vom Steeg shook up his starting lineup for the championship game, starting freshman defender Colby Renton over usual starter graduate defender Haruki Utsumi, who had previously started in all 19 games he appeared in this season. Freshman midfielder Jack Middleton also earned the starting nod, his seventh of the season in just nine appearances.

Santa Barbara dominated the possession in the first 15 minutes of play, as Irvine sat back on defense and let the Gauchos come to them in attack. As the Anteaters settled into the game, the field conditions were deteriorating quickly. Nearly every attack saw a player hit the turf, with most being due to a combination of physical defense and slippery field underfoot. 

As the clock hit the 20th minute, momentum had fully shifted to Irvine. Attacks by the Gauchos were losing their potency, and the Anteaters were quick on the counter, especially down their right wing. Middleton took some frustration out on Irvine in the 22nd minute, resulting in a yellow card from the referee, the first booking of the match. The free kick for the Anteaters was about 15 yards past the 18-yard box, and senior right back Travis Babineau soared a free kick high and right of the goal, but not by much. 

Just a few moments later, disaster struck when a promising Irvine attack was halted by sophomore defender Calle Mollerberg and junior defender Drew Kamienski at the very edge of the box. The referee immediately assigned a red card to Kamienski, to the crowd’s great dismay, but it was reversed to a yellow card after the referee was called to assess the foul again on video replay. The replay also confirmed the foul was committed outside the box, giving the Anteaters a free kick rather than a coveted penalty. Babineau wasn’t deterred however, and he rocketed a shot to the top right corner of the net past freshman goalkeeper Owen Beninga’s outstretched arms to give Irvine a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute.

Both coaches made substitutions to get some fresh legs on the pitch as the half wore on, but the score remained the same up until halftime. Kamienski had a late shot right before the first half buzzer, but luck wasn’t on the Gauchos side as it flew just left of the target. There were a combined 16 fouls in the first half, but only Santa Barbara players had received cards for their actions.

As the second half whistle blew, expectations were high as Gaucho fans predicted another second half comeback in the works, just like they had done against UC Davis in the Big West semifinal the previous weekend. Unfortunately for Vom Steeg and his men, Irvine had other ideas, netting their second goal just 40 seconds into the second period. Hunny Yoo, junior midfielder, pushed the ball past Beninga as the young keeper came off his line too soon; Babineau was credited with the assist to go with his earlier goal for the Anteaters. 

The Gauchos tried to respond by opening up the game, stretching the field to their advantage like they had against the Aggies in their last game, but an Irvine player was always at the receiving end of a cross into the box or a long ball intended to go over the top of the backline.

Graduate forward Buba Fofanah did capture a moment of magic for the Gauchos in the 65th minute, weaving the ball through traffic on the right hand side of the box and slotting it past sophomore goalkeeper Joe O’Shaughnessy to pull his team closer to a comeback. 

Irvine kept pressure on the Gauchos defense too, however, and it came solely down to Beninga to keep the game from becoming a blowout. Beninga had 3 otherworldly saves in a 5-minute span starting in the 69th minute, deflecting shots out of the top right corner, bottom right corner and a chip shot off a defender’s deflection that he barely punched clear of the crossbar straight over the top of his head.

Standout junior midfielder Kaden Standish had a quieter night than against Davis, and his night looked like it would be ending abruptly when he was forced to exit the game after a head injury in the 69th minute. However, he made a heroic return in the 78th minute as the Gauchos still sought a late equalizer. Unfortunately, his return to the pitch was mitigated by more questionable officiating by the much-maligned head referee. After avoiding a sending off earlier in the game, Kamienski was given a red card in the 81st minute, meaning the Gauchos had to complete their comeback with just 10 men remaining in their lineup. 

This downturn in fortune for the Gauchos was overshadowed for the crowd, as two fans made their way onto the pitch before being chased off by security. The crowd urged them on as they hopped the fence before being seized by the guards tailing them across the field, cheering at the thrilling escape as the on-pitch situation was spiraling for Santa Barbara. 

Beninga made two more impressive back-to-back saves in the 86th minute, raising his total in the game to 7, and 6 in the second half alone. Sophomore forward Zac Siebenlist had the last chance for the Gauchos in the 87th minute when he got on the end of a cross straight in front of the goal, but he couldn’t guide it below the crossbar as it sailed mere feet over the goal. 

As the final buzzer sounded, Santa Barbara fans were already heading to the exits, soaked to the bone, as Irvine fans rushed to the fences lining the field to celebrate with their team in victory. It was a bitter defeat for the Gauchos, who have now lost two Big West Championship games in a row on their home field. 

While some players will leave, many integral pieces will return for Vom Steeg next year, as they try to avoid another disappointing end to an excellent season. The team went on a 13-game unbeaten run up until the championship game, which is a record under Vom Steeg and the second longest in the history of the program. It was also the team’s third-ever unbeaten campaign in conference play, which can be a stepping stone for next year’s squad as they look to overcome their playoff demons and clinch their first Big West Conference title since 2021.