May. 11th, 2004 - Gauchos Lasso Longhorns
Fenton, MO - The number one seeded Santa Barbara Gauchos scored nine straight 1st half goals and used that cushion to outlast the sixteenth seeded Texas Longhorns 15-6 in an opening round contest Tuesday afternoon.
Santa Barbara scored the 1st two goals of the game, but Texas was able to cut the lead in half on a great individual effort from Justin Bedard. But the Gauchos slowly and steadily pulled away until they opened up an 11-1 lead. Texas was able to pop in a couple of goals before halftime to cut the lead to 11-3.
But that lead seemed too much to overcome. UCSB used that lead to cruise to 15-6 finish. Gaucho senior Hank Caulkins added that though his team did not know a lot about the 'Horns they focused on their game.
"We knew what their scores were, but we really didn't know much about their defense. The whole year we have done the same thing, the opponent may change, but our game stays the same."
For Texas, it was their first trip to the Lou since 1997. The Lone Star Alliance champs, although disappointed looked to gain from their experience this year.
"We have to prepare differently. It's my first year here and I think I take some of the blame for not being 100% prepared. We have a 36 man roster and 21 of them are here, 15 couldn't make it out here due to exams-their professors wouldn't let them out. We need to make sure our guys are in better academic standing so they can work with their professors," added first year Texas Head Coach Noah Fink after the game.
"But we need to continue to play at a higher level, like Santa Barbara."
Sophomore Andrew Matthews added what he thought the Horns could take away from this year's tourney.
"To me, we lost 15-6, that's the gap between their program and ours. That's how much we have to work to be at their level."
UCSB advances to take on Oregon at 4:30 on Wednesday. The Gauchos and Ducks met during the regular season in Santa Barbara, with the Gauchos winning 14-8. But the Gauchos don't plan to take Oregon lightly. Caulkins was quick to point out the situation.
"They are a good team, but we could have played a lot better (when we played them). We put together a half game, but we have to put together a whole game. It's the National Championships and to overlook a team is a huge mistake and it will cost you."
First Year UCSB Head Coach Mike Allan agreed.
"We were very impressed with their first game this morning. They definitely have improved since our last meeting. That game we played pretty well for two half quarters, and then we had a bit of drop off. We weren't satisfied by that game at the time. They are a familiar opponent, but it's a very different situation."