IRVINE – Bianca Frontino scored a goal in the final minute of regulation to give UC Irvine a 2-1 win over visiting UC Santa Barbara on Sunday afternoon. The loss was the second straight heartbreaking defeat for the Gauchos.
UCSB (8-7-2, 2-4-0 in Big West) dropped a difficult 3-2 overtime game at UC Riverside on Friday night. UCI (5-7-3, 1-2-1 in Big West) ended a two-match losing streak.
The Anteaters got on the board first, early in the second half. In the 48th-minute, Kiana Palacios received a pass from Clarissa Robles and drove a shot past Gaucho goalkeeper Beth Ritter, giving her team a 1-0 lead.
The Gauchos tied the score at the 75:42 mark. Sara Feder, who has now scored in five straight matches, found Madison Beckley on the right side of the box and Beckley, who scored five goals in 2013, found the net and it was 1-1.
The teams battled between the penalty boxes for the next several minutes, but in the final 60 seconds, Palacios dribbled into the box, cranked a pass to Frontino who scored the game-winner with just 44 seconds to play.
The Anteaters controlled most of the match. They finished with a 16-8 edge in shots and a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks. UCSB’s Beth Ritter collected a trio of saves to her counterparts two.
Santa Barbara will return to action on Sunday, Octo. 26 when it travels to Blue-Green Rival Cal Poly for a noon match. The Gauchos will play their final home match of the year on Thursday, Oct. 30 when they host Cal State Fullerton.
