Box Score |
UCSB presser
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Top-seeded and Big West regular-season tri-champion UC Santa Barbara defeated No. 5 seed UC Davis by a final score 3-2, Saturday at Harder Stadium in the semifinal round of the 2025 Big West Men's Soccer Championship. The Gauchos advance and will host No. 2 seed UC Irvine on Friday, Nov. 14 for the Big West Championship title.
UC Santa Barbara improves to a 7-4-8 overall record. UC Davis ends its season with a 4-9-6 overall record.
UCSB scored all three of its goals in the second half, while the Aggies scored once in each half. UC Santa Barbara goalkeeper Owen Beninga made six saves throughout the game, while Noah Schwengeler stopped three shots for UC Davis.
Both teams started the match creating early opportunities, combining for 22 first-half shots. In the 38th minute, UC Davis sophomore midfielder
Ben Elkins broke the deadlock, scoring on a header with a volley assist from sophomore defender
Carson Hammond, to give the Aggies a 1-0 lead at halftime.
A 12-minute Gaucho run in the second half put the game away. Trailing 1-0, sophomore defender
Calle Mollerberg hit the equalizer in the 58th minute and junior midfielder
Kaden Standish gave the Gauchos the lead in the 61st. Junior midfielder
Dominick Phanco made it a 3-1 game, hitting the back of the net in the 70th minute. Mollerberg scored by collecting a loose ball in the box after a corner kick. Standish's goal came on a strike from the top of the box. The third score was a pass from graduate forward
Buba Fofanah on the right side that found Phanco's feet flanking the left side.
The Aggies narrowed the gap to 3-2 when senior forward
Cason Goodman's header went in, in the 81st minute, assisted by
Gavin House and senior defender
Luke Goodman. Despite several attempts, UC Davis was unable to find the equalizer before time expired.