Lindsay Bullock scored her 10th goal of the season in the 107th minute to give visiting Long Beach State a come-from-behind 2-1 double overtime win over UCSB on Friday night. The win gives the 49ers the Big West regular season championship.
The Gauchos (11-6-1 overall, 4-2-1 in the Big West) led into the 89th minute before Long Beach (12-4-3 overall, 6-0-1 in the Big West) rallied to tie and then win.
The game-winning goal came when Kim Silos launched a corner kick from the left side. The ball eluded UCSB freshman goalkeeper Ali Cutler who was leaping to punch it out. Bullock came in just the right of center and punched the ball in at the 106:18 mark of the second overtime period.
The 49ers tied the score at 88:58 when Shawna Gordon blasted a pass from just outside the right hand side of the box. Cutler tried to get to the ball but it escaped her and landed in front of the left post where Kristen Kiefer scored on a low shot on the left side from about seven yards out.
The match was scoreless until the 71st minute when sophomore forward Kylie McDonald hit a long free kick from the near the left sideline. The ball bounced in front of the goal and sophomore forward Kailyn Kugler collected it and scored on a low shot into the left corner.
The contest was evenly played. Each team had 10 shots, but the Gauchos had seven on goal compared to four for the 49ers. Long Beach did have seven corner kicks while UCSB had none, and it was the seventh that proved to be the decider.
With the defeat and Cal Poly’s 1-0 win over UC Irvine, the Gauchos have clinched a spot in the four-team Big West Tournament, but drop to third-place in the league. They will host the Anteaters on Sunday. If Santa Barbara defeats Irvine, and Long Beach beats or ties Cal Poly, then the Gauchos will finish second and host a first round match in the Big West Tournament on Thursday, Nov. 6. If they finish third or fourth, they would go on the road for the first round match.
Sunday’s 5 p.m. match against UCI will be the final regular season home match for three UCSB seniors, defender Rachael Ritchey, midfielder Sami Svrcek, and forward Michelle Russell.
