SACRAMENTO -- A battle with league-leading UC Santa Barbara fell the Gauchos' way on Wednesday afternoon as Finn Ballard McBride scored a goal in each half, lifting his side to a 2-0 victory over host Sacramento State in a Big West Conference match-up on Wednesday afternoon at Hornet Soccer Field.
The defeat was the fourth consecutive loss for the Hornets, who had their record evened at 6-6-2 overall and 1-4 in league play. UC Santa Barbara, which was receiving votes in the latest national poll, improved to 8-2-4 overall and remained unbeaten in league play at 3-0-2 on the year.
Neither could manage a shot for the first 15 minutes of the contest as they felt each other out. After both sides combined to successfully defend seven corner kicks, Henry Davies put one high over the goal for the first attempt of the day and Cody Sundquist followed with an attempt of his own that was off the mark.
Whistled for four offside calls in the first 21 minutes, UC Santa Barbara finally broke the seal in the 30th minute as Ballard McBride scored off a restart for the 1-0 lead. Lucas Gonzalez fed the Gauchos' leading scorer with a ball through the middle as Ballard McBride split two defenders and flicked a shot to the lower left corner for his seventh goal of the season.
Sundquist forced UCSB goalkeeper Leroy Zeller into a save with a sharp angle attempt at the left post that went out for a corner in the 42nd minute, but Sacramento State couldn't convert, heading into the locker room chasing a goal.
Sophomore Dominic Vegaalban, making his second appearance since returning from injury then made Zeller make another save just 90 seconds into the second half as both teams come out firing.
Ballard McBride then made it a two-score match in the 69th minute off an assist by Sam Fletcher, who curved a long ball toward the top of the 18 that was shouldered down by Ballard McBride and poked to the lower left corner for the final 2-0 advantage.
UC Santa Barbara finished with a 13-12 lead in shots, but the two teams combined for only seven shots on goal. The two teams also combined for 17 corner kicks and 13 offside whistles — nine of those by the Gauchos.
Sacramento State closes out the homestand on Saturday (Oct. 15) at 3 p.m., welcoming UC Riverside. The Highlanders (3-6-3, 2-1-1 in the Big West) were scheduled to face UC Irvine at home late Wednesday before heading to Northern California.
