Ledoux and Mitzner lead the way as Gauchos begin the soccer season with a convincing win

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara Men's Soccer team started their 2024 season in style, knocking off a Missouri State Bears team which received votes in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll. Alexis Ledoux scored twice and added an assist to power the offense in the Gauchos' 3-1 victory, while David Mitzner was unlucky not to be rewarded with a clean sheet for his goalkeeping.

Nicolas Willumsen was Santa Barbara's other goalscorer, the beneficiary of Ledoux's assist. Nemo Philipp, Peleg Brown and Isaiah Barber each also recorded assists on the night, a first each for Brown and Barber.

FROM HEAD COACH TIM VOM STEEG
"Mitzner made a couple big saves in the first half, which is what we need, and then we got just great (performances) all the way from the beginning to the end," Vom Steeg said. "Overall, I wish we would have gotten the shutout because I think we deserved it, but we'll take it."

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos had the first scoring chance just five minutes into the match, with Philipp's cross finding Barber in the penalty area, but the sophomore's header sailed high. At the other end, Missouri State's high press generated a couple of chances for the visitors, but Santa Barbara's defense handled both. First it was Brown sweeping away a through ball, then it was Mitzner handling a pair of shots for his first two of five saves on the night.

The next chance of the evening fell to the Gauchos in the 17th minute, and Ledoux put it away. Andrew Kamienski started the flowing move by playing a long pass along the ground, which a Bear defender let run. Philipp, playing on the right wing, snuck behind him and kept the ball in play before playing a cross to the back post where Brown was waiting. The Gaucho left back played a pass of his own across the face of goal, and Ledoux arrived to smash home from 10 yards out.

Philipp and Brown put another shot on frame each, though neither troubled the goalkeeper, and then it was Mitzner's turn to step up. He made his best save of the night in a one-on-one situation in the 24th minute, sticking out his right foot to block a shot from the Bears' most accomplished goal-scorer. Eight minutes later, he got down quickly to smother a header from a corner kick.

Brown forced one more save from the Bears' keeper in the dying seconds of the half, but the Gauchos went into the break up by just one goal.

The visitors nearly got that goal back inside the first three minutes of the second half, but it was Mitzner again getting down well to make the save. That save would prove key, as neither team was able to create another real chance until after the hour mark, when the Bears fired wide of the goal from close range after loose ball in the box. The Gauchos then avoided disaster in the 71st minute, recovering to clear away a sloppy backward pass before an on-rushing Missouri State attacker could tap it into a largely open net.

Santa Barbara finally earned themselves some breathing room in the 79th minute by turning defense into attack in an instant. Barber won the ball deep in his own end and fired an outlet pass to Ledoux, who dribbled past a man and then found Willumsen. The big Dane shrugged off his defender, took three touches into space and then thundered home a shot at the near post from around 20 yards out.

The Bears did cut into that lead late, capitalizing after a hard cross bounced off a Gaucho defender to put the loose ball into the net, but the Gauchos got the last laugh. As Missouri State pushed everybody forward in the final minute, Ledoux and Barber put pressure on the lone Bear defender and goalkeeper remaining back. Barber won the ball with a great tackle, leaving Ledoux one-on-one with the goalkeeper at the edge of the penalty area. The Frenchman kept his composure and curved the ball into the far corner to seal the result.

FROM THE STUDENT-ATHLETES
Alexis Ledoux on the team's performance in the win: "I think it was a full-team effort," Ledoux said. "We knew coming into this game that we had to be all over them. Missouri State is a team that is going to cover the field and step up to you, so if you're not ready, you're not going to get everything. I think the main part was us getting on top of them and staying after them for the whole game, and that leads to goals."

On the game-clinching goal: "I think the coaches wanted me to stay, but I don't know, I just had that gut feeling that 'I have to go,'" Ledoux said. "I see Isaiah coming with me and I'm like, 'oh my god, if something comes out of this, this is good.' Isaiah gets a foot on that ball and I have a chance to put it in the back of the net."

BY THE NUMBERS
Thursday night's victory was the Gauchos' first in a season-opener since their 7-1 victory over San Diego in 2021; it was Missouri State's first time losing a season opener since 2017. The Gauchos are now 18-3-4 overall in season openers under Head Coach Tim Vom Steeg.
Four Gauchos made their Santa Barbara debuts on Thursday night: Calle Mollerberg, Manu Duah and Peleg Brown in the starting lineup, plus Ocean Salari off the bench.
Santa Barbara's forwards were dialed in Thursday night; the Gauchos put seven of their nine shots on target, their best accuracy since the 5-1 rout of Utah Valley in September of 2022.

UP NEXT
Santa Barbara will hit the road for a pair of matches in the Midwest next, visiting Kansas City on Aug. 29 and Oral Roberts in Tulsa on Sept. 1. The Gauchos' next home match will be on Sept. 6, when they host UNLV.

(Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics)