OGDEN, Utah ? Allie Ariniello entered her senior season at UC Santa Barbara without having scored a goal, but two games into her final campaign the Carlsbad, Calif., native has scored a pair.
On Monday afternoon, in the heat of Ogden, Ariniello took a pass on the left wing from freshman Dakota Griggs and blasted a shot that deflected off of a Weber State defender and went into the goal, tying the score at 1-1. It was Ariniello’s second goal in as many matches and she now has two in her career. The score remained the same and UCSB is now 1-0-1.
UCSB’s Allie Ariniello
Playing with sophomore Beth Ritter in goal, the Gauchos limited the Wildcats to 10 shots, four of which were on frame, but only one goal. Ritter had three saves in her first career start.
Ariniello’s goal helped Santa Barbara overcome an early Weber State score. For Griggs, a freshman, it was her second assist in two matches.
The hosts took a 1-0 lead at the 19:25 mark when Mackenzie Harrison collected an offering from Chansi Crompton and struck a shot into the right post. It was Harrison’s first goal of the season.
The score remained 1-0 Weber State until Ariniello struck in the 59th minute with the equalizer.
“There were lots of positive today,” said head coach Paul Stumpf. “We got down a goal in the first half, but responded, both defensively and offensively. We tied it up in the second half and even created a penalty kick for ourselves.”
The Gauchos didn’t score on the penalty kick, but still had a solid overall match, outshooting the Wildcats 13-10 and producing four corner kicks to their opponents one.
“We keep getting better,” Stumpf said of his young team. “We get better individually and as a group. It’s really fun to watch.”
UCSB will remain in the Beehive State and play at Southern Utah on Wednesday, Aug. 28. The match against the Thunderbirds will kick-off at 9:00 am (PDT).
