UC Santa Barbara Men’s Soccer Defeats Missouri State 3-1 in Season Opener

With the UC Santa Barbara men’s soccer team clinging to a 2-1 lead in the final minute of action against Missouri State, Alexis Ledoux pressured a desperation throw in by the visiting Bears’ goalkeeper.

Isaiah Barber followed up by immediately dispossessing a Missouri State defender and fed Ledoux for a right-footed shot into the empty net. The thrilling sequence punctuated an impressive 3-1 victory by the Gauchos in their season opener on Thursday night at Harder Stadium.

“I thought from the back forward, we played very well and we just got different contributions from different players,” said UC Santa Barbara head coach Tim Vom Steeg. “With the 16 seniors, I’ve got a lot of depth, and so I thought the players who came on the field contributed and gave us good minutes top to bottom.”

Missouri State is the favorite to win the Missouri Valley Conference this season and has been a powerhouse program over the past few years. A resounding victory over a formidable opponent is an excellent way for the Gauchos to begin a promising 2024 season.

“The crazy part for me is that we are capable of even playing better. I think there’s a lot to look forward to this year,” Vom Steeg said. “It’s great to get an early season win like that at home against a really good opponent, so we’ll definitely take it as a momentum builder.”

Ledoux scored two goals in the match, the first of which came in the 17th minute when Nemo Philipp delivered a cross into the box for Peleg Brown, who sent a pass across the face of goal to Ledoux for a strike to the top right of the goal. 

“We knew hitting balls to the back stick — they had a weakness there, so we took advantage of that,” Ledoux said. “We just knew we had to have players in the box. The ball comes back across, and it doesn’t matter who hits it.”

The Gauchos extended their lead to 2-0 when Ledoux and Nicolas Willumsen combined for a lethal counter-attack. Ledoux played the ball ahead to Willumsen, who beat his defender and created a 2-1 opportunity. Willumsen went on to finish it himself with a low and hard right-footed shot from just inside the box. 

UC Santa Barbara senior goalkeeper David Mitzner maintained a clean sheet until the 87th minute, when a hard cross bounced off a Gaucho defender and the loose ball trickled into the net.

Despite that lone goa,l it was a very solid season debut for Mitzner, who made several clutch saves in the first half.

“It was a great first half. We just wanted to get the shutout, but it was a solid performance by myself and everyone and just looking for a strong season going forward,” Mitzner said. “I am very happy with my back line.”

The Gauchos will have a week off before playing at Kansas City on Thursday, August 29.