Cal Poly men’s soccer fell 2-0 to the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos in the first installment of the Blue-Green Rivalry of 2021 on Saturday, Sept. 25 at Harder Stadium.
After a scoreless first half, UCSB (4-3-2) scored two goals just five minutes apart in the second half to outlast the Mustangs (2-4-1) in front of 8,000 fans.
Early in the first half Cal Poly forced UCSB goalkeeper Leroy Zeller to make two saves as the Mustangs hit two of their three first-half shots on target in the 8th and 18th minutes.
Meanwhile, the Gauchos had four first-half shots, none of them being on target.
In the second half, senior forward Emmanuel Perez had a 54th-minute attempt to break the scoreless tie, but it was stopped by Zeller. The Gaucho goalkeeper totaled three saves in the game.
UCSB would then take control of the game when forward Finn Ballard McBride scored twice with a header in the 65th minute and his second goal in the 70th minute.
Junior goalkeeper Carlos Arce-Hurtado finished with two saves for the Mustangs, who were outshot by the Gauchos 14-5.
Saturday’s game was scheduled as a non-conference matchup between the two Big West squads as Cal Poly will face UCSB in a Big West match on Saturday, Oct. 16 at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.
The Mustangs will officially open their Big West schedule on the road at Sacramento State on Wednesday, Sept. 29 at 4:00PM.