UC Santa Barbara gave Utah Valley its first loss of the season Saturday night, defeating the Wolverines 3-2 in a Big West Conference contest at Harder Stadium
Donovan Sessoms played a role in all three Santa Barbara goals, assisting on the first before scoring twice. The Gauchos led 2-0 at halftime and withstood a late Utah Valley rally to preserve the victory.
Santa Barbara took the lead in the 16th minute when defender Peleg Brown scored from about 30 yards. Sessoms sent the ball to Brown after Utah Valley cleared an earlier cross, and Brown’s shot found the net despite a deflection by the goalkeeper.
The Gauchos doubled their advantage in the 31st minute. Kalle Rahbek intercepted a pass near midfield and played the ball to Sessoms, who curled a shot into the upper-right corner.
Sessoms completed his scoring in the 49th minute with a penalty kick. Santa Barbara was awarded the penalty after Zac Siebenlist was brought down in the box following a video review.
Utah Valley answered three minutes later with a penalty of its own that was converted by Jose Luis Martin Montealegre, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
The Wolverines added another goal in the 86th minute, when a flicked header Austin Wheeler set up a finish inside the penalty area by Brayden Tester. Santa Barbara held off Utah Valley during the closing minutes to secure the win.
Goalkeeper Owen Beninga made one save in the first half as Santa Barbara controlled much of the play. Utah Valley’s first-half appeal for a penalty was rejected following video review.
The Gauchos now have four points through two Big West matches and sit atop the seven-team conference standings. The top four teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the Big West Championship.
Santa Barbara will play at Cal State Bakersfield on Wednesday before hosting Cal Poly in a nonconference Blue-Green Rivalry match Oct. 10 at Harder Stadium.
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