UCSB's Erin Ortega fights to move the ball up the field against Oklahoma's strong defense. (Vince Agapito photo)
An outstanding individual effort by Oklahoma forward Caitlin Mooney broke a scoreless tie and led the visiting Sooners to a 1-0 win over UCSB on Sunday afternoon at Meredith Field at Harder Stadium.
In the 60th minute of a tight defensive contest, Mooney, a sophomore, took the ball on the left sideline about 20 yards over the midfield stripe. After carrying the ball for about 20 yards, she cut in, past a Gaucho defender and towards the top of the penalty box. Mooney then took a shot from about 12 yards straight out, in traffic, that slid just past UCSB goalkeeper Makenna Henry for the only goal of the game.
Both teams had chances throughout the match to score, but in the end it was the defenders that ruled the day. The Gauchos had two late second half opportunities with free kicks just above the Sooner penalty box, but shots by Erica Seidman and Kylie McDonald sailed high. Seidman and McDonald combined for seven shots.
In all, Santa Barbara outshot Oklahoma by an 11-7 margin with each team collecting three shots on goal.
The Gauchos were playing without starting forward Kailyn Kugler, the reigning Big West Offensive Player of the Year, who was injured and was a game-time decision.
“But I thought that was a pretty good college soccer game,” said UCSB head coach Paul Stumpf. “There was energy, both teams were organized, the commitment was good, there were a number of good chances on both sides.
“I am having a hard time because I’m disappointed in the result but I’m happy with the team’s development,” he added. “Do you hammer away at them because we lost a game? Or do we make sure they know that we are a very good soccer team if we match that intensity, focus and quality that we had today.”
The Gauchos will hit the road on Friday, Sept. 24 when they travel to Fresno State for a 7 p.m. non-conference game against the Bulldogs. UCSB will open Big West play on Friday, Oct. 1 when it travels to UC Riverside.
