IRVINE – Seventh-ranked UCSB (10-9, 1-5) allowed three goals in the fourth quarter against No. 5 UC Irvine (16-6, 4-3) and suffered a 7-6 loss in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation game at Anteater Pool on Saturday afternoon.
After scoring three goals in the third quarter and limiting the Anteaters to only one, the Gauchos had a 5-4 lead going into the fourth. Mitch Wise scored a goal just three minutes into the period for UCI and tied the game at five. Two minutes later, UC Irvine senior Doug Lindsey chipped in another goal to put the Anteater ahead, 6-5.
The Gauchos fought back to tie the game off a goal from Milos Golic with only 2:47 left in the game, but it wasn’t enough. With 1:12 remaining, Gaucho Brian Shoemaker was called for an exclusion and following an Anteater timeout, Lindsey buried his second goal of the quarter to put UCI up 7-6 on a power play shot with 1:02 left in the game, marking the eventual game-winning goal.
Brandon Johnson added two goals for the Anteaters while Kyle Baxter, Max Parrague and Wise each chipped in one. Goalie Matt Johnson keyed the Anteater defense with 17 saves as UCI improved to 16-6 overall and 4-3 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
Golic and Matt Gronow had two goals apiece for the Gauchos, who fell to 10-9 overall and 1-5 in league games. Goalie Fraser Bunn totaled eight saves in the losing effort. The loss to the Anteaters marks the fourth-straight loss in conference play for UCSB.
UCI carved out a 2-0 lead to open the game on goals from Parrague and Baxter but UCSB answered by getting an extra-man goal from Gronow. Zsombor Vincze tied the score at 2-2 with 4:34 remaining in the second quarter.
UCI seemed in control when Johnson buried a penalty shot with two minutes remaining in the second and then opened the third quarter with an extra-man goal at 7:17 to stake the Anteaters to a two-goal lead at 4-2.
UCSB responded again, scoring three straight goals to take the 5-4 lead. Golic capped the rally with a power-play goal at 5:30 in the third for his first of two goals in the game. UCSB lost the momentum and eventually the game as UCI capped in three goals during the fourth period, while the Gauchos only had one.
UCSB looks to rebound as it returns home to face No. 4 UCLA (15-4, 4-2) on Sunday, Nov. 14 at Campus Pool. All the action starts at noon.
UC IRVINE 7, UCSB 6
1 2 3 4 Final
UCSB 0 2 3 1 6
UCI 1 2 1 3 7
UCSB Goals: Milos Golic 2, Matt Gronow 2, Lazar Komadinic, Zsombor Vincze.
UCSB Saves: Fraser Bunn 8.
UCI Goals: Doug Lindsey 2, Brandon Johnson 2, Kyle Baxter, Max Parrague, Mitch Wise.
UCI Saves: Matt Johnson 17.
