LONG BEACH — UCSB cruised past UC Irvine to end the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament with a win and a seventh-place finish.
The Gauchos got off to a fast start as senior Brendan McElroy scored his first of three goals with a 7:30 power play score. Anteaters’ Kyle Trush answered back with a goal at the 6:19 mark. The next three minutes was all Gauchos as the team scored three unanswered goals. With scores from senior Ryan Baliani and juniors Bryan Snyder and Samer Alkateb, UCSB jumped out to a 4-1 lead. Irvine scored its second goal to pull within two of UCSB, but a :04 second goal from McElroy increased the Gaucho lead to 5-2.
The offensive splurge continued to the second frame as Baliani struck for his second goal in the period’s first possession. The defense of the Gauchos (11-15) continued to shut down Irvine’s offense as the Anteater could not record a single score in the period. Besides the stout defense, the Gauchos offense clicked with two more goals in the second quarter. McElroy recorded his hat trick at the 3:31 mark as UCSB converted on another 6-on-5 opportunity. Shortly after McElroy’s score, junior Liam Gaughan punched in the eighth goal of the half for the Gauchos.
With an opening 5:17 score from Irvine, the Gauchos lead stood at 8-3. The third quarter was a defensive showing as neither team could knock the ball in the back of the cage. Baliani recorded his third goal of the match with 1:56 remaining as the Murrieta, Calif. native extended the Gaucho lead to 9-3. With :16 seconds remaining, freshman attacker Shane Hauschild scored his first and only goal of the game to help the Gauchos carry a 10-4 lead into the final quarter.
Filled with exclusions and defense, Irvine could not exploit the Gauchos defense. UCSB prevented the Anteater squad from executing onits offensive possessions and recording a come from behind win. With solid defense and a high powered offense in the first half, the Gauchos ran away with a 10-5 victory to end the weekend with a seventh place finish at the MPSF Championships.
