Air Force Academy
UCSB
Falcons Drop Season Opener to 9th-ranked UCSB, 2-1
8/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 29, 2008
The Air Force men's soccer team opened its 2008 season with a hard-fought 2-1 loss to 9th-ranked UC Santa Barbara Friday night in front of 2385 fans at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara, Calif. Sophomore Ryan Robinson scored the lone goal, the first of his career, for the Falcons.
Senior Chris Pontius, a Hermann Award candidate this year, scored both goals for the Gauchos, who won the NCAA Division I Championship in 2006 and advanced to the round of 16 last season. He opened the scoring in the 36th minute by firing a rocket from 22 yards out past Falcon goalie Jim Gullo. Bryan Dominguez was credited with an assist on the play.
That duo struck again in the 57th minute to give the Gauchos a 2-0 advantage. Nick Perera also gained an assist. UCSB controlled the action most of the evening, outshooting the Falcons 28-8 overall and 10-2 in shots on goal. Pontius equaled the Falcons' total of eight total shots on his own.
Robinson cut the lead in half with the first goal of his collegiate career in the 69th minute when he beat Gaucho keeper Trond Helge Takset with a 10-yard shot after taking a pass from junior Steven Noller. Takset faced only one other shot on goal in the game, saving a shot from Noller in the 80th minute. Gullo, meanwhile, made eight saves and kept the Falcons in the game right up to the final whistle.
The Falcons return to action on Sunday, Aug. 31 against another nationally ranked team, 24th-ranked Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. The game, Cal Poly's season opener, begins at 1 p.m. (PT).
