RIVERSIDE – Christina Tucker took a pass from Tyler Cunningham and scored from just two-yards out in the fourth minute of overtime to give UC Riverside a 3-2 win over visiting UC Santa Barbara on Friday night.
The Gauchos (8-6-2 overall, 2-3-0 in the Big West) held a 2-1 lead in the second half but couldn’t hold on.
Riverside’s Alexa Bustamante gave the Highlanders a 1-0 lead at 34:33 when she received a pass from Cunningham and scored from about 20 yards out onthe left side.
UCSB knotted the score in the 37th minute when Sara Feder struck a free-kick from 22 yards out and found paydirt, tying the score and giving her five goals on the year.
The Gauchos took a 2-1 lead just over a minute later. Feder lofted a pass into the box and McKinsey Martinez gathered it and pushed a one-timer past Elizabeth Silas’s right, giving her team a 2-1 edge.
The Highlanders tied the score in the 88th minute. Blanca Barrio notched her fourth goal of the campaign, taking a pass from Briana Thomasson and scoring from 20 yards out. Danielle Lopez also assisted on the goal.
The Tucker goal, from Cunningham, came in the fourth minute of OT.
UCSB remains on the road and will play at UC Irvine on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 pm at Anteater Stadium. The game will also be carried on ESPN3.
