SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Following a tough defeat in double overtime at UCLA last weekend, the University of San Francisco men's soccer team (1-1-0) will aim to get back to their winning ways when they travel to Santa Barbara for a Friday night showdown at UCSB (1-0-1).
 
GAME 3 INFORMATION

Date/Time: Friday, Sept. 3, 2021 – 7:00 p.m.
Opponent: UCSB
Site: Harder Stadium (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
Video: UCSB Live Stream
Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com
 
LAST TIME OUT:

• Playing in their first true road match of the regular season, the Dons fell, 2-1, in a hard fought, double overtime match at UCLA on Sunday, Aug. 29.
• In the contest, the two teams remained scoreless through the 52 minutes until the Bruins struck first at the 52:35 mark. With less than five minutes remaining in regulation, Dominic Valdivia delivered a beautiful ball off of a free kick to Shayan Charalaghi in the UCLA box, where Charalaghi then found the right angle to head the ball past the UCLA goalkeeper to find the equalizer. At the end of the regulation, the Dons and Bruins were locked in an intense battle tied at 1. Unfortunately, UCLA ultimately capitalized on a play inside the USF box to find the game-winning goal as Bruin defender Tommy Silva squeezed his shot just past the reach of Charlie McKay's outstretched arms to deliver the 2-1 victory for the Bruins. 
• Notably, Charalaghi's goal against UCLA marked the first time the San Bruno, Calif. native has scored since a two-goal performance at Sacramento State on Sept. 19, 2019. For Valdivia, the Santa Monica, Calif. native has now registered at least one shot in four straight contests, which dates back to Apr. 3 of last season. 

SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS:

• In their previous time on the pitch, UCSB drew a 1-1 tie with Cal at home in a double overtime contest on Sunday, Aug. 29. Prior to this match, the Gauchos tallied an impressive seven goals in a 7-1 win over San Diego on Thursday, Aug. 26, which set a new record for most goals in a single game under Tim Vom Steeg, who is in his 23^rd season as head coach.
• For the first time this fall, the Gauchos recently received votes in the United Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll and College Soccer News Top 30 ranking. Overall, UCSB received 11 votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. 
• Forward Ameyawu Muntari was recently named the first Big West Offensive Player of the Week and UCSB Student-Athlete of the Week on Monday afternoon after scoring back-to-back goals in the 66^th and 73^rd minutes of UCSB's season-opening win over San Diego.

SERIES HISTORY:

• Overall, USF holds an 8-1-3 record against UCSB all-time. Notably, it will be the first meeting between the two programs since 2004, when the Dons and Gauchos drew a 1-1 tie in San Francisco. 

TALE OF THE TAPE:
 

UC Santa Barbara (1-0-1, 0-0-0 Big West)		San Francisco (1-1-0, 0-0-0, WCC)
8	Total Goals	3
4.0	Goals Per Game	1.5
1.00	Goals Against Average	1.5
3	Total Assists	3
1.5	Assists Per Game	1.5
16.5	Shots Per Game	7.0
.333	Shots on Goal Percentage	.214
8	Total Saves	7
.800	Save Percentage	.700
1-1	Penalty Kicks	0-0

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