Men's soccer felled by Gauchos

With three losses in their past four games, the UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos were supposed to be the team struggling on both sides of the ball Saturday night.

Think again.

The Hoosiers (4-2-2), who hoped to build on a three-game winning streak, fell to the Gauchos 2-1 after a lackluster first half put them in an early deficit too wide to overcome.

The first shot of the game for UCSB (5-3) came after the Guachos’ Bryan Dominguez sent a corner kick into the six-yard box. Teammate Alfonso Motagalvan was able to get a foot on the ball and tap it in from two yards out to put his team up at the 11:46 mark.

With only 12 seconds remaining in first half, UCSB forward Chris Pontius headed in a cross from defender Jon Curry. The goal capped a poor first half for the Hoosiers, who at times appeared lost defensively and showed little signs of firepower on offense.

“We just lacked the intensity, fire and passion in the first half,” junior defender Kevin Alston said. “It was almost like we were conserving ourselves. They had so many people open, and it was a lack of focus. It was very frustrating.”

Down two goals without time on their side, IU came out strong to start the second half. Multiple shots flew at the visitors’ goal in the first couple of minutes, including two from freshman forward Will Bruin, but to no avail.

Play on the field was rather heated between the two teams that met in the 2004 College Cup Final, with hard fouls committed by both sides throughout the second half. In the 74th minute, Alston received a cleat to the head after getting tangled up with UCSB forward David Walker, who was given a red card for the illegal play.  

As Alston stayed down on the field in pain, junior defender Ofori Sarkodie and Pontius got into a verbal altercation that forced teammates to restrain them. By the end of the night, UCSB committed 23 total fouls.

IU coach Mike Freitag said the aggressive play had no effect on the outcome of the game.

“There was nothing more physical about this than any other game,” Freitag said. “It’s a soccer game. It is a physical contest. It is a contact sport. We have to go into situations prepared to battle, fight, put your body on the line and challenge for balls.”

Desperate to score, the Hoosiers showed signs of offensive life late in the half with several scoring opportunities.

In the 88th minute, sophomore midfielder Rich Balchan crossed a ball from the far right wing into the box. The ball skidded past Gaucho defenders, and sophomore forward Andy Adlard slotted home at the far post.

The final minute of play was intense for IU, with various attacking chances barely missing their mark.

With just less than 30 seconds left in regulation, an apparent handball by a UCSB defender in the penalty box was waived off by the referees. IU players and coaches pleaded the officials for the call, but play continued until the clock ran out.

Still, Adlard said the aggressiveness his team showed in the second half should have been present for the entire match.

“I think if we could have done that throughout the whole game – getting some crosses in, getting in the box – good things would have happened for us,” Adlard said. “We should do that right from the get-go and not have to have the other team score before we start playing.”

Though clearly frustrated with his team’s performance, Freitag is confident his team will be more than ready for a match-up against Evansville on Tuesday night.

“I know these guys are winners ... they just have to find a way to win for 90 minutes,” Freitag said. “I may have to get a big stick at practice, but we will make it happen. We will bounce back from this and be a better team.”