UCSB expected a tougher game in its second outing of the season, and that’s what the Kentucky Wildcats gave the No. 7 ranked Gauchos Friday night at Harder Stadium.
David Walker scored on a set piece in the fifth minute and the Gauchos then fended off some quality chances by Kentucky in the second half to come away with a 1-0 victory in front of 2,753 fans and a national television audience.
The game, part of the Loyola Marymount Tournament, was shown on the Fox Soccer Channel.
Santa Barbara outshot Kentucky 27-13, but some clutch plays from goalkeeper Dan Williams and a stout effort by a well-organized Wildcats’ defense kept the Gauchos from breaking the game open early.
That didn’t seem to bother UCSB coach Tim Vom Steeg too much. He was more encouraged about the fact his team prevailed in a tight game against a quality opponent and that his defense didn’t cave in against pressure in the second half.
“I was very pleased that the game was tight and we stayed good,” Vom Steeg said. “I wished we had scored a second and third goal, but in terms of our development, knowing that our defense is really where we need to get taken care of. The idea we were able to put together a good defensive game against a team that had scored 11 goals in its first two games is a good thing.”
Kentucky (2-1) came out as the aggressor in the opening minutes and got some good looks at the goal. The Wildcats got a free kick and a corner kick in the first three minutes of play.
But once the Gauchos kicked their game into another gear, the Wildcats were in trouble. Walker found the back of the net, rising above the crowd on Jon Curry’s corner kick and slamming a header past the helpless Williams for a 1-0 lead.
“It was a good ball from Jon Curry,” Walker said. “He is a good set-piece taker on our team. An in-swinging ball, I wouldn’t say they are easy to hit, but they make it pretty nice in the box for you. You kind of let the ball hit you.”
Walker was tough for the Wildcats to handle in the first half.
“It’s magic in a bottle sometimes,” Vom Steeg said of the junior outside midfielder. “It was his best half of soccer at UCSB.”
The play that set up the big corner kick was a nice piece of work between Pontius and an overlapping Curry, who ran onto a through-ball before hitting a cross that was deflected out of bounds.
The Gauchos (2-0) had a great shot at a second goal in the 20th minute when Nick Perera fed Bryan Dominguez, who after faking a defender shot just wide of the near post.
In the 23rd minute, Peter McGlynn sent a 40-yard cross to Pontius, whose on-frame header was knocked away by Williams at the last second.
Williams came up with another big play to keep the Gauchos off the board in the 35th minute, swatting away a shot by Perera deep in the penalty area. Otii jumped on the loose ball, but his shot was blocked out of bounds.
“I thought in the first half we weren’t very good,” Kentucky coach Ian Collins said. “I thought we were too open. We gave them too many opportunities. In the second half, we were better. We created a few chances of our own. I was proud of our effort, but to lose a game like this on a set piece is not acceptable.”
Kentucky’s Marco dos Santos headed a ball off the post in the 53rd minute and had a flick header travel just wide two minutes later.
Santa Barbara goalkeeper Trond Helge Tasket made his toughest save of the game in the 69th minute, batting a 30-yard blast by Tyler Burns over the crossbar.
This was the kind of action Vom Steeg wanted to see against his young defense, and Michael Boxall, Michael Tetteh, McGlynn and Curry passed the test, helping Takset earn his first shutout as a Gaucho.
I’m’ very happy for our defense,” the coach said, “Whether we score two, three, four or five goals, it doesn’t matter. It’s about us defensively being solid.”
NOTES: The Gauchos complete the tournament with a match at host Loyola Marymount on Sunday. In the other game, Kentucky visits Cal Poly … Bongomin Otii returned to the field after taking a redshirt year and recovering from knee surgery. He started the game and got off two shots before Vom Steeg pulled him in the second half. “He ran out of gas,” the coach said, “He’s only been back for two days. We don’t even know how to use him.” … Freshman Danny Barrera made his collegiate debut after recovering from knee surgery.
