Oct. 9, 2003

The Schedule
Match No. 13
Thursday, October 9, 2003 at 7:00 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs. Pepperdine University Waves
at UCSB's Harder Stadium

Match No. 14
Sunday, October 12, 2003 at 7:00 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs. UC Riverside Highlanders
at UCSB's Harder Stadium

The Gaucho Record
UCSB enters its weekend matches with an overall record of 6-3-3 and a Big West mark of 1-1-1. The Gauchos struggled offensively in a pair or road matches last weekend, dropping a 1-0 overtime decision at Long Beach State on Friday and then battling to a 1-1 overtime tie with UC Irvine on Sunday.

Ho-Hum, UCSB Takes On Another Ranked Opponent
Not that it is truly boring, but rather it has become pretty commonplace this season for the Gauchos to play teams ranked in or around the top-25. Pepperdine will enter the Thursday night match against UCSB with a 9-2-0 record and ranked sixth in the nation by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The Waves are the sixth ranked, or nearly-ranked team, that the Gauchos have played in 2003. In addition, UCSB played Tennessee (ranked 13th at the time), Charlotte (ranked 25th at the time), UCLA (ranked second at the time), St. Mary's (receiving votes) and San Diego (receiving votes). Still on the horizon is Big West rival Cal Poly, currently ranked 19th in the nation.

The Bright Side, The Not-So-Bright Side
The glass is either half empty or half full. Huh? Well, UCSB enters its Thursday night match against Pepperdine with a three match winless streak. On the other hand, the Gauchos have lost only one of their last eight matches. When UCSB dropped a 1-0 overtime contest at Long Beach State last weekend, it ended the team's six-match unbeaten string. When the Gauchos and UC Irvine tied at 1-1 on Sunday, it extended the team's winless streak to three.

Compensatory Time
Lucky for the UCSB Athletic Department the athletes are not unionized, because if they were, the Gaucho women's soccer team would be raking in the overtime pay. Five of Santa Barbara's first 12 soccer matches this year have gone to overtime, including the last three in a row. In its five OT contests, UCSB has gone 1-1-3, meaning that three of them have gone the distance, 110 minutes.

Where Did The Offense Go?
During a five-match winning streak, the Gauchos outscored their opponents 17-2. While the defense continues to put-up good numbers, the offense has dried up in recent matches. In the last three outings, over which time UCSB has gone 0-1-2, the Gauchos have scored just two goals in more than 310 minutes. On the year, the team has outscored its opponents 25-9, an average of 2.08 to 0.75.

Considine Continues To Shine
While the offense has struggled in recent matches, the defense has continued to perform well. Leading the way has been the last line of defense, sophomore goalkeeper Jamie Considine. Having started every match, the native of Coronado has posted an outstanding save percentage of 83.0%. She has recorded 44 saves and a goals against average of 0.72. Considine has posted five shutouts, including an overtime blanking of UCLA, which was ranked second in the nation at the time. In UCSB's last home match, a 1-1 tie with the University of San Diego, Considine logged a season-high eight saves.

Spreading It Around
UCSB's top three goal-scorers are Jennifer Borcich (six goals), Krystal Sandza (six goals) and Randi Johns (four goals), but the Gauchos are spreading the scoring around this season. In addition to the top three, freshman Darci Gwartz has tallied two goals, including a match-tying score at UC Irvine on Sunday, and seven other Gauchos have each scored one goal. Alma Martinez, Molly Martin, Kristyn Bright, Allie Kueny, Emilee Schwimmer, Cinthia Ruiz and Alex Richey have each scored a goal this year.