Mustangs Stun No. 13 UC Santa Barbara in Overtime Blue-Green Thriller

Saturday, October 17

7 pm

8-3-3 / 3-1-2

UC Santa Barbara

9-5-1 / 4-2-0

OT 3

OT 4

UC Santa Barbara

Cal Poly

Mustangs Stun No. 13 UC Santa Barbara in Overtime Blue-Green Thriller

10/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Without a goal in his first 58 collegiate games, senior defender Kody Wakasa (top, far right) headed a 104th-minute Jack O'Conner corner kick into the back of the UC Santa Barbara net as the Cal Poly men's soccer team opened the 2015 Blue-Green rivalry series by toppling the 13th-ranked Gauchos 3-2 inside Alex G. Spanos Stadium Saturday evening.

In front of 11,075 spectators – an attendance mark equaling the 12th-largest regular season crowd figure in NCAA regular season history – Mustang senior goalkeeper Wade Hamilton matched a season high with six saves for Cal Poly, which defeated rival UC Santa Barbara for the first time since sweeping the 2012 series and scored three goals against the Gauchos for the first time since a 3-0 triumph on Nov. 7, 2000.

In the ninth match between the two sides to go to overtime in the previous eight seasons and the 14th meeting in the last 17 matchups to be decided by a single goal or drawn, Cal Poly was outshot 23-12, but overturned a seventh-minute deficit and rallied from a 2-2 tie after UC Santa Barbara equalized shortly before halftime.

With Saturday's victory, Cal Poly (8-3-3, 3-1-2) moved into second place in the Big West Conference North Division standings on 11 points alongside UC Davis (7-6-2, 3-1-2), which drew last-place Sacramento State (5-7-2, 2-3-1; seven points) earlier Saturday, 1-1. Both the Mustangs and Aggies also moved within one point of divisional leader UC Santa Barbara (9-5-1, 4-2-0).

In a series that has produced 15 of the top 42 regular season attendance figures in NCAA history, Saturday's 11,075-fan figure equalized sellouts at Spanos Stadium between Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara from the 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons.

On the field Saturday, Mustang junior forward Justin Dhillon forced UC Santa Barbara goalkeeper Justin Vom Steeg into a third-minute save, but it was the Gauchos who grabbed the initial lead on seven minutes as midfielder Ismaila Jome curled a shot past Hamilton and into the top right corner of the Mustang net.

Cal Poly, however, required just three-and-a-half minutes to respond as Dhillon dribbled into the Gaucho penalty area and laid off a pass for junior midfielder Ruben Duran, who fired past Vom Steeg near the left post to level the scoreline.

Both goalkeepers recorded saves during the ensuing 20 minutes to keep the game level before Cal Poly grabbed the lead on 30 minutes as senior midfielder Matt LaGrassa played a pass upfield for senior defender Kip Colvey, who popped a shot off of Vom Steeg that bounced into the back of the Gaucho net.

Cal Poly's lead last just nine minutes, however, as UC Santa Barbara equalized through a short-range attempt by midfielder Seo-In Kim following a scramble in the Mustang penalty area after a Geoffrey Acheampong corner kick.

All three of Cal Poly's second-half shot attempts elicited saves from Vom Steeg and Hamilton chalked up four saves in his own right – including stops in the 84th and 89th minutes – to keep Cal Poly in contention.

Hamilton then made saves on successive attempts by Gaucho forward Ahinga Selemani early in the first overtime period to keep the game level.

A starter during 56 of his 58 appearances for the Mustangs, Wakasa – who had produced just two collegiate shots on goal during his Mustang career – then headed just Jack O'Connor's fourth corner kick of 2015 past Vom Steeg with six-and-a-half minutes remaining to win Saturday's match for Cal Poly.

Cal Poly returns to action when hosting Sacramento State on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. The Mustangs and Gauchos then close their 2015 regular season series on Saturday, Oct. 24 at UC Santa Barbara's Harder Stadium.

Photo courtesy of Alexander Bohlen