UCSB finished 2-2 on the weekend, good enough for seventh place at the 2011 NorCal Tournament. In the first game on Sunday, the Gauchos lost to No. 7 Pepperdine, 7-6, and then defeated sixth-ranked UC Irvine, 11-5, in the seventh-place game.
Against Pepperdine, the Gauchos found themselves in an early hole, trailing 3-1 after the first quarter and 5-1 at the half. Matt Brown and Matthew de Trane each scored twice for Pepperdine in that span, with Scott Bishop scoring the lone goal for Santa Barbara.
But the tables turned in the second half, as the Gauchos scored four goals in the third quarter with the Waves only scoring once to make it a 6-5 game going into the fourth. Pepperdine was not to be denied however, scoring one minute into the quarter and holding on for the 7-6 win.
Six different players scored for the Gauchos, as they almost mounted a comeback against a tough Pepperdine team. Junior goalkeeper Miles Christian had nine saves for UCSB.
In the second game, the Gauchos came out strong, dominating UC Irvine from start to finish. Leading 6-2 at the break, UCSB kept the pressure on in the second half for an impressive victory in their final game of the weekend. Sophmore Matt Gronow and junior Brian Shoemaker led the way for the Gauchos, each scoring two goals.
Sophmore Jay Lovero had eight saves for the Gauchos in a complete game.
UCSB is now 7-3 on the season. Next Saturday, Sept. 24, the Gauchos will take on Concordia (12 p.m.) and Pomona-Pitzer (3:00 p.m.) in Santa Barbara
