Sometimes, the losing coach is more satisfied than the winning one.
That was certainly the case on Thursday at Harder Stadium, as the UCSB women’s soccer team defeated Westmont 1-0 in a preseason scrimmage.
The Gauchos out-shot the Warriors 14-2 and freshman Victoria Thomas’ goal (assisted by Kailyn Kugler) in the 41st minute was enough to get the victory, but coach Paul Stumpf was far from thrilled.
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“Thank goodness we had a scrimmage, because it was loose. The decision-making was slow and the touches were not good,” he said. “Then we settled down… I think we dominated the game from the 20th minute on, but we have some work to do.”
The Warriors, meanwhile, hung tough despite having an inexperienced front line.
“They competed. They really did compete,” said coach Dave Wolf. “In a game where just getting out of your own half ain’t easy, they fought real hard and actually got a little bit of it at the end.”
Westmont’s Shanae Coker made a long-distance breakaway run in the final minute, but couldn’t make the final move as she ran out of steam at the top of the box.
“That would have been something — maybe a little too much to ask after all the running they had to do that she could be technically good enough to do what she needed to do,” said Wolf. “But a couple of freshmen combined to create that moment and they showed a little bit of guile.”
Freshman Aolani Rueff had a nice following in the stands, and the diminutive but prolific scoring machine out of Santa Ynez High should bring plenty of excitement to the front line.
“It was her first time on the field because she’s been out for about a week with an ankle twist. She showed some flair and she wasn’t afraid… I think that when we get to our level of competition she’ll do some things for us,” said Wolf.
The Warriors, who went 7-7-3 overall and 6-3-1 in the Golden State Athletic Conference last season, have a strong anchor guarding the net in junior Roxanne Love, who was an NAIA First-Team All-American last year.
The Gauchos, meanwhile, have a battle brewing for the top spot in goal between senior Tammy Lenham and sophomore Ali Cutler, who made some big saves down the stretch last season to get UCSB into the NCAA Tournament.
Returning Big West Offensive MVP Genelle Ives is out for at least one more match with a leg injury, and while Stumpf said some of his returners were less-than-impressive on Thursday, he cited strong performances in the back by Nicole Romanowski and Alexa Stringer.
The No. 17 Warriors will begin play in the Azusa Pacific Cougar Classic on Thursday against Westminster (UT), while the Gauchos play at Santa Clara on Sunday.
