Amanda Ball’s overtime goal lifted UC Santa Barbara past UC Riverside, 3-2, on Friday night for a Big West Conference win.
UCSB dominated the first half with 3 shots and 1 shot on goal. Freshman Mallory Hromatko scored the first goal of the game with an assist by Amanda Ball. Hromatko dribbled the ball up the right side of the field and took a shot that was stopped by UC Riverside goalie Elizabeth Silas. Hromatko regained control and took another shot to the top left of the box, bringing the score to 1-0.
UC Riverside came out strong in the second half with two goals from freshman Darielle O’Brien. The first goal came off of a corner kick that was shot into the top right of the box. O’Brien’s second goal resulted from a cross from the left side followed by a shot into the top right corner.
The Gauchos retaliated with a goal from Freshman Jessica Parque. After a corner kick from senior Savannah Francis, Parque trapped the ball in the penalty box, and shot it into the upper left side, evening the score out to 2-2 at the 17:22 mark.
After two periods of overtime, freshman Amanda Ball gained possesion of the ball in the penalty box and took a shot to the lower left corner. This goal ended the game at the 6:34 mark, with a score of 3-2.
UC Santa Barbara finished the game with an 10-6 shot edge against UC Riverside.
This match marked the 3rd win in a row for the Gauchos bringing their overall record to 11-4-1. The Highlanders fall to 9-8-0.
UCSB hits the field next, this Sunday, against UC Irvine. The Anteaters are just 6-9-3 on the season and have yet to win a game on the road. The Gauchos will look to extend their winning streak to 4 on Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. on Meredith Field at Harder Stadium.
