Sanchez sends Gauchos to OT win

Sophomore forward Alissa Sanchez’s goal nearly five minutes into the first overtime gave UCSB (7-7-1, 4-1-0 BWC) a thrilling 3-2 Big West Conference victory over Long Beach State (5-7-2, 1-2-0 BWC) win on Thursday evening at Meredith Field at Harder Stadium. The win was the Gauchos’ fourth straight.

The game-winner, which came at the 94:30 mark, resulted after junior Kailyn Kugler crossed the ball into the box, in front of the goal, and senior Genelle Ives headed it. The ball hit the goal post, but Sanchez was there to collect the rebound and push the ball past Emily Kingsborough, to the back of the net, giving the Gauchos the goal, and the win.

“With strikers like we have, we are kind of like lightning in a bottle,” said UCSB head coach Paul Stumpf. “You never know when we are going to get behind a defense and strike. That’s what happened tonight.”

Santa Barbara took a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute one a beautiful play. Junior Jacqui Simon dribbled the ball into the center of the Long Beach State box, passed to Kugler on her right. Kugler pulled the defense to her and then slid a pass to junior Kylie McDonald. McDonald faked a shot, got past the defender and, from the right side, punched a shot into the left portion of the goal.

BOX SCORE

The 49ers tied the score at 70:51 when Shawna Gordon lofted a shot from about 25 yards out, above the right part of the penalty box. Gordon’s shot floated over the defense and seemed to be mis-judged by Gaucho goalkeeper Tammy Lenham. The ball skittered past Lenham and went just inside the right goal post.

Long Beach snapped the 1-1 tie at 82:09 when Gordon cranked a corner and Bo Rael collected the ball, settled it, and then kicked it past Lenham, giving her team a 2-1 lead.

UCSB tied the score in the 86th minute. McDonald blasted a cross from right-to-left and Ives headed it into the upper left corner of the goal. The score was Ives’ first of the season and 22nd of her career.

“That’s two games in a row that we’ve tied it up in the second half and then won it in overtime,” Stumpf said. “It shows that we have a lot of character, and that’s what I have always thought about this team. It has great character and doesn’t quit.”

The four straight wins is the Gauchos’ longest winning streak since 2003.

UCSB, which will remain in first-place in the Big West, returns home for a non-conference game on Sunday, Oct. 18, when it hosts Seattle University in an encounter that kicks-off at noon.