MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Minnesota scored a goal early in the second half to snap a 0-0 tie and added a second late to defeat UCSB at the Minnesota Gold Classic in Minneapolis on Friday.
With the game scoreless in the second minute of the second half, forward Allie Phillips took a pass from midfielder Steph Brandt. Phillips cracked a shot from outside the box that eluded Gauchos’ goalkeeper Makenna Henry, giving the Golden Gophers a 1-0 advantage.
Brandt got a goal of her own at the 87:39 mark when streaked up the middle, took a pass from Angie Olson and knocked a shot into the goal to make it 2-0 Minnesota with less than three minutes remaining.
The Gauchos (3-2) were outshot for the match by a 20-11 margin. Of the 20 shots attempted by the Golden Gophers (4-1), eight were on-frame. UCSB had just two shots on goal. Senior forward Kailyn Kugler had a team-high four shots for Santa Barbara while junior forward Alissa Sanchez had three, including both of the team’s shots on goal.
Henry, a freshman goalkeeper from Fountain Valley, Calif., kept Santa Barbara in the match with six saves, her highest total this season.
The loss is the second in the row for the Gauchos after they opened the year with a 3-0 mark. They remain in the Twin Cities and will play Marquette in the second game of the Minnesota Gold Classic for both teams. The contest will kickoff at 8:30 a.m. (PDT) at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium on Sunday morning.
