Late goal brings down UCSB women, 3-2 – Junior Elysse Van Leer’s goal in the 85th-minute gave visiting Washington State a 3-2 win over 21st-ranked UC Santa Barbara on Friday night. The loss in the see-saw match ended the Gauchos’ three-game winning streak.
The game winner, which came at 84:59, was started when Carly Dobratz sent a long-ball towards the right side of the end line where Kiersten Dallstream settled. With a defender on her back, Dallstream shoved a pass to Van Leer, who was stationed just above the upper-right corner of the penalty box. Van Leer fought off another Gaucho defender and blasted a shot from there, over the outstretched arms of a leaping Tammy Lenham.
The Cougars (2-1-3) took a 1-0 lead on UCSB (4-2-0) at 4:17 in the first half. Emma Stolz dribbled to her right, near the top of the box. Stolz slid a pass to her right, towards a streaking Dallstream who drove in from the top right corner of the box and placed a shot to the right of Lenham and into the lower left portion of the goal.
The Gauchos balanced the score a little more than eight minutes later. Sophomore forward Kylie McDonald drove down the left sideline, turned in and cracked a perfect cross towards the front of the goal. Junior forward Genelle Ives climbed the ladder and flicked a beautiful header over goalkeeper Lindsay Parlee.
Washington State reclaimed the lead in the 52nd minute, and again it was Dallstream doing the damage. The junior forward scored unassisted, driving up the middle, through a pair of defenders, and put a shot into the lower left corner of the goal, past a charging Lenham.
The Gauchos tied the score for the last time at 76:32 when freshman Cory Yoshida hit sophomore forward Kailyn Kugler with a pass to the left of the box. Kugler battled past a defender and bounced one just inside the far right post.
UCSB outshot the Cougars 13-9, but both teams had five shots on goal.
The Gauchos complete their homestand on Sunday afternoon when they host nationally-ranked Tennessee in a 4:00 p.m. match at Harder Stadium. Following that one, they will go on the road for six straight.
