Forward Sam Garza eludes a Westmont tackle and heads upfield for the Gauchos. Garza scored UCSB's first goal of the game. (Vince Agapito photos)
UCSB’s offensive weapons were as good as advertised in Saturday’s exhibition match against Westmont at Harder Stadium.
Forwards Sam Garza and David Opoku scored first-half goals after some nifty ball movement and the Gauchos erupted for four more in the second half for a 6-1 exhibition win over Westmont in the Bryant and Sons Cup before 3.074.
It was the Gauchos’ 11th straight win against their NAIA neighbors.
The ball movement was quick and crisp for UCSB in the first half. Luis Silva looked very comfortable running the attack in the middle, and Garza, Opoku and St. John’s transfer Dom Sarle worked some nice combinations in the attacking third of the field.
“I was excited to see this group play tonight because we’ve been very good in training,” said UCSB coach Tim Vom Steeg.
“Most of these games have always been 2-0, 3-1— it’s been tight. “I don’t think they neceesarily changed anything, I just thought we were so much better on the ball and creating chances and moving. Offensively, we were better than their defense tonight.”
Westmont actually got the first serious crack at scoring. In the third minute, Nana Ayken stole the ball on the left side and crossed it to an open Jordan Correa in the box. Correa’s shot, however, was wide to the left.
“In a game like this when the chances are few and far between, when you get a chance to look at the goal, you want it to count a bit,” Westmont coach Dave Wolf said. “That’s a good example of us not forcing the issue. That, unfortunately, was a sign of things to come.”
He was right, as the (College Soccer News) ninth-ranked Gauchos controlled possession and outshot Westmont 11-1 in the first half and 21-4 for the game.
“To me, the biggest disappointment was just a real lack of self belief to pass the ball,” Wolf said. “We’ve had some teams over the years that have passed the ball pretty well, and that’s always been something we’ve taken a lot of pride in and really put a lot of emphasis on. We realize we’re not going to have extended periods of that in a game like this, but tonight we didn’t have any. That’s really discouraging.”
Gaucho sophomore David Opoku had a big first half scoring a goal and having several other attempts.
A steal by Silva set up the first goal. The senior midfielder controlled the ball and smartly crossed it on the ground to Garza on the left. The slick-dribbling Garza juked left, cut the ball to the right and hit a low shot that beat Westmont goalkeeper Matthew McNabb from16 yards in the 12th minute.
A beautiful sequence of one-touch passing led to the second goal. It started with Christian Vasquez knocking it to Sarle, who fed McGlynn, who hit a near-post cross that was met by a charging Opoku, who popped it into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead in the 43rd minute.
Vasquez, a former Santa Barbara High star who transferred to UCSB after playing two seasons at UCLA, played well in his first action for the Gauchos and was rewarded with a goal.
It came in the 64th minute. He received a through pass from Silva and shot past McNabb to make it 3-0.
“It’s been about two years pretty much since the whole transfer from UCLA, and it was great (being on the field again), especially geting a goal tonight … it was amazing,” said Vasquez. “It’s so nice to play in front of a big crowd. All of my family and friends are in the stands, so it was nice.”
Asked about the goal, Vasquez said, “When I scored I didn’t even know what to do. I just looked at Silva and he looked over at me. I thought I was offsides.”
The Gauchos added three more goals in the last 10 1/2 minutes. Michael Nonni raced past two defenders and crossed the ball to Waid Ibrahim, who headed it in for the fourth goal.
The fifth goal came off a free kick, with Ibrahim tapping the ball off to Silva and Silva ripping a laser shot into the back of the net from 22 yards.
Westmont avoided the shutout when Daniel Johnson scored on a rebound of a shot by Isaac Thompkins.
Nonni, running full blast like he did as a freshman two years ago, finished the scoring on a breakaway.
“We certainly have a lot of attacking options on this team,” Vom Steeg said. “It’s matter now of wanting to share the ball and play with each other. I thought today was a good step for us.”
UCSB and Westmont both begin their regular seasons next week. The Gauchos host Seattle University on Saturday, while the Warriors travel to the Azusa Pacific Cougar Classic Tournament and play Oklahoma Baptist on Thursday.
