UCSB challenged No. 3 UCLA to a 1-1 halftime draw on Sunday, but like an elite team can do, the Bruins elevated their game to the next level in the second half and came away with a 3-1 victory over the Gauchos at Harder Stadium.
Cory Yoshida and the Gauchos faced their second top-10 team of the preseason on Sunday in No. 3 UCLA
Sydney Leroux scored twice for UCLA.
“It was awesome to come in here because we know that they’re always going to give us a hard time,” said Leroux, one of the country’s top goal scorers with 10 in 10 games this season. “They’re a very physical team, very aggressive, and they came out to play. In the first half, we weren’t really ready for that.”
UCLA’s Sydney Leroux
UCSB’s Erin Ortega gave the Gauchos an equalizing goal in the 43rd minute after Leroux scored her first just four and a half minutes into the match. Alissa Sanchez crossed a ball to the near post and Ortega leaped to connect, heading it across the goal where it deflected off the left goal post and in.
BOX SCORE – – GAUCHO TEAM PAGE
UCLA (8-1-1) quickly dispelled any notion of a Gaucho upset in the second half with goals in the 50th and 63rd minutes. While Santa Barbara outshot the Bruins in the first half 5-4, that changed to an 8-2 UCLA advantage in the second frame.
“It’s possible they got a little talking to at halftime,” said UCSB head coach Paul Stumpf, a nod of respect to UCLA head coach Jillian Ellis, who has won over 80 percent of her matches in 11 seasons as the Bruins coach.
“They came out clearly flying – high-pressure, high energy – a lot more than they did in the first half and I don’t think we did a very good job of recognizing it.”
Even still, Stumpf thinks his Gauchos (3-6-1) are in good shape with their next game being the Big West Conference opener against UC Irvine.
“At this point, non-conference is all about preparing your team for the conference schedule,” said Stumpf, whose team has now faced two top-10 teams and three other teams receiving votes in the coaches poll in the pre-season. “I would say, from our first game, to our last game, we’ve made constant improvement and I’d say we’re ready for conference.
“So that’s the good news.”
