Gauchos overwhelmed by #14 Stanford in first round NCAA Tournament game
PALO ALTO, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer team fell in the First Round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship on Friday night. The Gauchos fell 5-0 to the 14th-ranked Cardinal.
FROM HEAD COACH PAUL STUMPF
"It is always hard to end a season," said Stumpf. "I think about all the growth that our team experienced this season and am proud of our Big West Championship. I am very excited for the future of our program, but before that I leave here proud of the effort put in by our team this season."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Stanford controlled the opening kick and in their first possession earned a corner kick. On the corner the Cardinal served the ball to the bottom left of the net forcing Buckley to make one of her five saves in the opening half.
Santa Barbara, now with possession the Gauchos methodically made their way down the field and also earned a corner kick. A ball played short by Emily Caughey was played to Isabella Ong who found an unmarked Gia Cimring. The senior took a shot at goal but sent it high of net giving Stanford the ball.
Stanford kept up aggressive attacks peppering Buckley in net. Through the first 15 minutes of play Stanford took seven shots but only one would be on net. The Gauchos, still hanging with the 14th-ranked Cardinal, continued to keep them off the board.
In the 21st minute Stanford went up 1-0 on an own goal. A ball served in by the Cardinal would deflect off a couple Gaucho defenders and trickle into the net after a last second attempt to make a save.
Moments later Stanford struck again. In the 23rd minute the Cardinal took a shot just outside the box and beat Buckley to the top right of the goal.
The Blue and Gold held Stanford off the board for the rest of the half to head into the break down two.
After half, the Cardinal continued to find success against the Gauchos scoring twice more in the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Gauchos tried to muster some offense in the 60th minute with two shots by Jaclyn Degidio and Emily Caughey but both shots would be blocked.
Before the final whistle Stanford added one more goal and the Gauchos historic 2024season came to a close.
IN CONCLUSION
The Gauchos wrap up the 2024 season with an 8-6-9 overall record. It was the most wins by a Gaucho team since the 2021 season. The Gauchos also won the Big West Championship and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009.
(UCSB Athletics)
