IRVINE, Calif. --- A late goal in regulation put the match into overtime, and a point for each is how Saturday night's contest in Anteater Stadium would play out, 1-1 between UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara.
The teams each had their chances throughout the first half of play. Each put a shot on target that was turned away until the 28th minute when the tie was broken.
The UCI (6-4-3, 1-1-2) offense charged forward, and
Giovanni Godoy advanced into the box before he was taken down to earn a penalty kick.
Mario Ortiz's finish put the Anteaters up, 1-0.
The offenses fought on for a total of 18 first-half shots as the score remained 1-0, Anteaters. The Gauchos sprinted out of the half with the first four shots, but could not turn any on frame. The best chance of the half for UCI came in the 63rd minute as
Mario Ortiz nearly added a second goal on consecutive shots, but UCSB (5-4-3, 3-0-1) keeper knocked one to each side to keep the 'Eaters within reach.
That became key as the match dragged on as UCSB pounced in the 83rd minute. After multiple near strikes from Noah Billingsley and Sahid Conteh, finally Rodney Michael capitalized receiving a pass on the right wing from Jonah Adomakoh and slotting it inside the far post to knot things up and send the match to overtime.
Both squads came out blazing in the first overtime period. UCI nearly put the game away 20 seconds in as
Ivan Canales and
Giovanni Godoy each were denied from the opening kickoff. The opportunity of the match came in the 95th minute as
Alda Perez's long-range header hit the far post, and the rebound, after bouncing around for a while, found Godoy, but he couldn't get enough on his shot and Carrillo was able to corral it.
The defenses packed it in in the second period as the teams combined for just one shot and the 1-1 result would hold.
Ortiz's goal was the first on a PK in his career, and his third overall on the season making in a four-point week after his two assists Thursday night. The 'Eaters finished with the edge, 22-20, on shots putting six more on target than the Gauchos.
UC Santa Barbara earned seven corners, and were bailed out by their keeper, Alan Carrillo, who saved eight shots.
Alex Waldron made a pair of saves as the Gauchos mustered just one shot on goal over the final 65 minutes.
"We played a team that was undefeated in the Big West and are a very, very good team," noted head coach
Yossi Raz. "They're coming off a five-game win streak, and I thought we played them well. We created a lot of opportunities to get more out of the game, but credit to them, they were grinding and had their chances as well and are a good road team; a typical Big West war that makes it very difficult to relax at any moment."
UCI finishes interdivisional play with a 1-1-2 mark in the conference and five points that put the 'Eaters in second in the South Division, a point behind the leader, Cal State Fullerton, with CSUN (4 points) and UC Riverside (3 points) breathing down their necks.
"I see that the program is growing and that's the most important thing. We're getting tougher, there is more resilience and identity, and we need to keep building on that. We're entering the key part of the season, and need to be competitive in the Big West South."
The race for the three South Division spots starts next week with a Wednesday match, Oct. 11, in Anteater Stadium against UC Riverside, and the week ends with a trip to CSUN, Saturday, Oct. 14, with both matches beginning at 7:00 p.m.
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