Ledoux scores 10th goal as UCSB ties at Bakersfield

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The No. 23 UC Santa Barbara Men's Soccer team erased a halftime deficit for the second time in as many Wednesdays on their road trip to Bakersfield, with Alexis Ledoux's second-half goal offsetting a late first-half concession to earn the Gauchos a 1-1 draw at Cal State Bakersfield. Santa Barbara out-shot the Roadrunners, 17-5, on the night.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Santa Barbara controlled the possession and flow of the game for nearly all of the first half and used that advantage to press the Bakersfield defense, winning four corner kicks in the first 15 minutes of the game.

There were really only two moments in the first 45 when the Gauchos' grip on the game seemingly slipped, the first of which goalkeeper David Mitzner scrambled to clean up. After a bad pass gave the Roadrunners a breakaway around midfield, Mitzner, who was playing about 40 yards out of his goal with his team in possession, made a perfect sliding tackle to win the ball off of Bakersfield's top attacking threat.

From then until the 45th minute, it was more Gaucho control, but before halftime the home side got a goal essentially out of nowhere. After a corner kick got cleared away, the Roadrunners headed the ball back into the box, and it was a Bakersfield player who got to it first and nodded it into the back of the Gauchos' net for a shock lead at the half.

Mitzner was called into action to keep the 1-0 deficit from growing less than a minute into the second half, but after that it was all Gauchos as they searched for an equalizer. Ledoux provided that in the 50th minute, the beneficiary of some incisive passing. Andrew Kamienski started the move from the halfway line, finding Zac Siebenlist at the top of the penalty area. Siebenlist played the ball on to Ledoux with a deft back-heel flick, and Ledoux needed just a few touches before passing the ball into the back of the net for his 10th goal of the season.

Six minutes later, Siebenlist made a bid to put the Gauchos ahead from point-blank range but was denied by a stunning save. That began the Santa Barbara barrage, as the Gauchos fired 12 of their 17 shots on the night during the second half alone. In the 65th minute, Filip Basili's cross from the far side of the field nearly crept into the back of the net, forcing another save. In the 74th, Mikkel Goeling's attempt to flick a cross goal-ward was sent wide by the slightest touch from a defender, and in the 76th, Henrique Bueno was thwarted by the save of the night, seeing his unchallenged header from point-blank range be turned aside.

Goeling nearly conjured a magical long-range strike in the 77th minute, leaving the goalkeeper rooted to his spot, but everyone watched it roll just wide of the far post. Eddie Villeda found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper in the 80th minute after receiving a cross-field ball from Ledoux, but he was denied by a sliding defender.

The Gauchos pushed for a winner until the very end, winning a pair of corner kicks in the dying seconds, but nothing came of those.

BY THE NUMBERS
Santa Barbara took as many corner kicks as shots (17) Wednesday night. Those 17 corners are the most in a game since at least 2010, with the next-highest total in that span being 13.
With his goal on Wednesday night, Alexis Ledoux became the first Gaucho since Finn Ballard-McBride in 2022 to reach double-digit goals in a season, and Ballard-McBride was an All-American that year. With seven games to play in the regular season, Ledoux is on pace to become just the eighth Gaucho ever to score 15 in a single campaign.
Head Coach Tim Vom Steeg made four changes to the starting lineup from Sunday, giving a first Gaucho start to Ocean Salari and a first start of the season to Nicolas Willumsen.
Speaking of firsts, Zac Siebenlist and Andrew Kamienski each recorded their first career assists on Ledoux's goal Wednesday night.

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will continue this, their first Big West road trip of the season, with a visit to UC Irvine on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. in Orange County, with the match set to be broadcast on ESPN+. Santa Barbara's next home match will be on Oct. 16, when they host UC Davis.

(Courtesy UCSB Athletics)