It was only the first game of the season, but the UCSB women’s soccer team was in midseason form.
The Gauchos dominated Friday’s non-league contest against Cal State Northridge at Harder Stadium, picking up a 2-0 win that would have been more like 6-0 if not for some standout saves by Matadors goalie Cynthia Jacobo.
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UCSB was impressively conditioned, staying at full speed throughout the match. What helped that process was the fact that coach Paul Stumpf was able to utilize 21 different field players.
“That’s how it’s going to go for us. So our goal is to work our tails off for 30 or so minutes, and when I start to wear down someone’s gonna go in, and she’s gonna put in the same effort so that when she starts to wear down I’m the one going back in,” said Stumpf. “We have the depth to be able to do that.”
On top of the depth was a fluidity to the Gauchos’ passing that set up numerous opportunities. The game’s first goal came in the eighth minute, as Kylie McDonald crossed a ball from the left side of the box that was put in by Emily Seidman from about eight yards.
Jacobo made a diving save of a shot by UCSB freshman Erica Shelton with five minutes remaining in the first half to keep it a 1-0 game heading into the break. The Northridge keeper did it again six minutes into the second half, halting a beautiful header by Kailyn Kugler off of a cross by Nicole Romanowski.
But there was no stopping the shot that scored UCSB’s second goal.
A corner kick was booted around in the box in the 57th minute and bounced out to Jacqui Simon who sent an absolute missile of a shot into the upper-v of the far post from a distance of about 25 yards.
“It happened so fast that I need to see it again,” said Simon. “I saw it pop out at the top of the box and I just knew I had to go for it, so I just hit it as hard as I could and hoped to God it would go in the goal. I guess the only thing that was going through my mind was to keep it on frame.”
UCSB’s defense was stubborn, allowing just five Northridge shots and just one on frame, making it an easy debut for UCSB freshman goalkeeper Makenna Henry. The Gauchos, meanwhile, produced 14 shots with eight of them on frame.
Speaking of freshmen, the duo of Shelton and Nicole DuPuy teamed up on a picture-perfect give-and-go through the defense with eight minutes left, resulting in a DuPuy shot that was kept out by yet another diving save from Jacobo.
UCSB hosts Cal State Bakersfield on Sunday at 5 p.m.
