Following a crushing 4-1 defeat to California State University, Bakersfield, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) had their backs against the wall. With just one game left, the Highlanders needed to beat the then league-leading University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) for a chance to sneak into the Big West Playoffs.
With a playoff berth secured, the Gauchos came out of the gates with confidence. Playing on the front foot, UCSB pressed the UCR center backs with their strikers, junior Nicolas Willumsen and freshman Zac Siebenlist. Meanwhile, their fullbacks, senior Caden Vom Steeg and freshman Peleg Brown, put pressure on the UCR wingbacks. This forced the Highlanders to play the ball through the middle as the Gauchos pounced on the receiving midfielder.
The Gauchos were able to turn giveaways into scoring chances, but they left themselves exposed in the back. When UCR was able to retain possession, they could exploit the space left behind by Vom Steeg and Brown. UCSB played an offside trap to neutralize the threat of the long ball.
They were able to draw senior forward Luka Lukic offside early. However, just a couple minutes later, sophomore defender Jackson D’Alessandro timed his run perfectly. He got in behind Brown and redshirt sophomore Jona Martinez played him in with a long through pass. With no other resort, Brown dragged down D’Alessandro just outside the box. He was initially given a yellow card. But after a few minutes of deliberation, the yellow card was repealed and Brown was handed a straight red card.
By the three-minute mark, the Gauchos were already down to 10 men. UCSB dealt with the ensuing free kick, but the Highlanders needed to strike while the iron was hot. With the numbers disadvantage, the Gauchos played more passively than they had at the start. The onus was on the Highlanders to break down the UCSB defense.
After Oscar Emilio Trujillo Lizàragga picked up a yellow card, UCR head coach Tim Cupello replaced the freshman defender with senior forward Noah Lopez. By bringing on Lopez, Cupello added an extra physical presence to complement senior forward Luka Lukic. UCR lost defensive stability by taking off Trujillo Lizàragga. But with a pair of big and heavy forwards, the Highlanders were suddenly a huge threat aerially.
This change paid off almost instantly. Just several minutes after the change, senior midfielder Lukas Juodkunaitis whipped in a cross into a crowded six-yard box. A dangerous ball considering Lopez, Lukic and senior forward Edward Castro had all made a run towards the UCSB net. Neither of UCR’s trio of forwards were able to connect with Juodkunaitis’s cross, but the commotion caused Vom Steeg to redirect the ball into his own net.
The Highlanders took the lead with a man advantage, but it would take a lot more to put away UCSB. In the last meeting between these teams from the 2023 Big West playoffs, the Gauchos showed they never give up. In that game, the Gauchos flipped UCR’s 2-0 second-half lead into a 3-2 win.
A second first-half goal would crush UCSB’s morale. The Highlanders kept piling on the pressure, but the Gauchos wouldn’t break. UCSB kept their focus and kept the game within reach going into halftime. However, the Highlanders caught them napping coming out of the break.
Senior defender AJ Meade-Tatum dribbled through midfield and chipped the ball over the UCSB defense for Lukic. The senior forward’s first touch puts him a step ahead of redshirt freshman defender Calle Mollerberg. With composure, Lukic calmly places his shot past senior goalkeeper David Mitzner and into the net. Mere moments after the second-half kickoff, Lukic’s goal put the Highlanders up 2-0.
Now with an insurance goal, UCR looked to secure the victory with sturdy defense. Despite starting center backs Mika Sebastian Kosch and Brady Elliott, the freshman duo were poised in such a high pressure game. Kosch and Eliott were both key in shutting down the UCSB offense. With only 10 men for most of the match, the Gauchos failed to register a shot on target the entire game.
Senior goalkeeper Carlos Gonzalez added another clean sheet to his impressive career tally as the Highlanders downed the Gauchos 2-0. Meanwhile in Fullerton, the California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) and the California State University, Northridge drew 1-1. The result meant UCR and CSUF were level on points and tied for the sixth and final spot in the Big West playoffs.
Despite having 13 points each, the Titans finished the regular season with a better goal differential. Ultimately earning CSUF the last playoff berth and marking the end of the season for the Highlanders. For the third straight season, UCR closed out their season against the Gauchos. It’s heartbreaking news for the Highlanders who finished with a strong 3-2-4 record in Big West competition this season.
With many key players departing this season, Cupello and his squad have a lot of work to do to reverse their fortunes in 2025.
