The UCSB men’s soccer team remained unbeaten in Big West play and improved to 9-3-4 overall after defeating Sacramento State 3-0 on Wednesday night at Harder Stadium.
Senior attacker Ameyawu Muntari headed the ball off a Caden Vom Steeg corner kick in the 32nd minute to put the Gauchos up early.
Ameyawu Muntari heads it in on the corner kick from Caden Vom Steeg to take the 1-0 lead.
Sophomore forward Nemo Philipp scored his first UCSB goal in the 42nd minute on a stunning left-footed finish on an assist from junior forward Thaabit Baartman. At that point, the Gauchos led 2-0.
At the 78:02 mark, freshman forward Salvador Aguilar gave the Gauchos their third goal with his right foot in the right side of the penalty area, following up on a saved shot from senior forward Rigoberto Barragan.
During the game, sophomore goalkeeper Leroy Zeller made a season-high nine saves, and the Gaucho defense kept its fourth clean sheet in a row and seventh of the season.
Caden Vom Steeg and Barragan each picked up their first career assists at the Division I level.
Aguilar’s strike was his fourth goal in the past seven games.
The Gauchos’ shutout streak now stands at 400 minutes and 15 seconds of game time.
UCSB remains at the top of the Big West Conference standings on 17 points, three ahead of second-placed UC Irvine.
The Gauchos have a chance to win the regular season title outright with a win and a UC Irvine draw or loss. They can also win the championship on Saturday night with a draw, a UC Irvine loss and Cal Poly, Cal State Bakersfield and UC Riverside draws or losses.
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