A dream match for UC Davis forward Cason Goodman was a nightmare for the UC Santa Barbara men’s soccer team.
Goodman, a former Santa Barbara High standout, broke the match open with two first half goals and the Aggies withstood a second half surge by the Gauchos to claim a 2-0 win in the Big West Championship Final on Friday Night at Harder Stadium.
“Cason is not only one of our most talented players, but he is also our hardest worker,” said UC Davis head coach Dwayne Shaffer. “He is coachable, which is huge, he listens, he works his tail off every day in practice and he also has the gift to score goals.”
With the victory, UC Davis claims the automatic bid into the NCAA tournament that is granted to the winner of the Big West Tournament. With an RPI of 35 coming into the Big West Tournament final the Gauchos still have a shot at an at-large berth into the NCAA tournament.
The NCAA selection show will air on Monday, November 18 at 3:30 p.m.
Goodman’s first goal came in the 20th minute when Keegan Walwyn-Bent dribbled into the box and found Goodman, who had carved out space to the near post. Goodman received the ball with his back to the goal, but was able to turn and deliver a left-footed shot into the side netting.
“When I got the ball at my feet I didn’t necessarily think that I had an opening. I took a nice touch, I had my hand on the defender and I felt him go a little bit so I knew I could turn,” Goodman said. “Something I’ve been really trying to focus on is creating chances for myself.”
With his time winding down in the first half Goodman struck again. He corralled the ball in the box before turning and delivering a left-footed shot across his body.
“Both goals were almost identical. As a freshman I don’t know if Cason scores those goals. It’s just like physical development and strength,” said UC Davis coach Dwayne Shaffer. “He took both of them really well. It was great to see.”
The Gauchos made adjustments at halftime both tactically and with personnel that allowed them to shift the flow of the game in their favor, but lacked the finishing touch to close the deficit despite outshooting the Aggies 17 to seven overall.
“If you think about all the shots that we had we didn’t really make the goalkeeper have to make a save,” said UC Santa Barbara coach Tim Vom Steeg. “We stared at the goalie and balls are bouncing across and we just couldn’t get anybody to put it on frame.”
UC Santa Barbara was unbeaten at Harder Stadium this season until Friday’s loss. Now the Gauchos fate is in the hands of the NCAA selection committee.