Soldout crowd. Ranked team vs. Ranked Team. Former National Champs. This had all the makings of an instant classic. It turned out to be gauchorific as the Gauchos got way back on track by beating the #7 UCLA Bruins 2-0 in front of 15,896 fans. That is the second all-time in the NCAA Mens Soccer attendance record. That was however the most fans ever at Harder Stadium for a soccer match.
Going into the game, the Gauchos had just won two in a row. They knew if they beat UCLA they would be back in the National Championship hunt. They got back in it in a big way.
After over an hour of a stalemate between the two UC schools, the Gauchos found the back of the net. After the ball bounced around in the box off of a corner kick, it found the feet of freshman superstar David Opoku who sent the tortillas flying and the people jumping with his goaaaaaalllll!
Then in the 90th minute, Luis Silva and Danny Barrera had a break away which then Silva passed to Barrera and the All-American slotted home the goal.
Tim Vom Steeg said it "never felt so good to win a game." Freshman David Opoku said "it was the best moment in my young career." Vom Steeg was so excited that before the game he had to tune into AM Channel 1610 for traffic updates because so many people were coming tonight.
The Gauchos after this emotional win get back into action September 29 at 7:00 p.m. at Cal State Foolerton.
This is the third win in the row for the Gauchos with all three coming on shutouts.
Go Gauchos!
Key Stats:
Attendance: 15,896
Shots: UCLA-8 UCSB-12
Fouls: UCLA-15 UCSB-15
Records: UCLA:4-2-1 UCSB:3-2-2
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