In the early stages of a clash against Big West conference side UC Santa Barbara, Sacramento State found themselves trapped in their own half.
Taking a corner in the 12th minute, UCSB sophomore midfielder Caitlyn Simons finds sophomore defender Mya Delaney unmarked. Delaney connects with the corner and heads it past Sac State freshman goalkeeper Cynthia Waller, resulting in a 1-0 deficit for the Hornets.
Conceding in the 11th minute, Sac State failed to mark sophomore defender Mya Delaney. 1-0 UC Santa Barbara pic.twitter.com/K8zQfYzEOz
— Elisha K Chandra (@ElishaChandra_) September 15, 2025
After the goal, the Gauchos stayed on the front foot with constant pressure towards the Hornets. With this early pressure, the Gauchos forced the Hornets to relinquish the ball on multiple occasions.
The Gauchos were able to recycle possession and take full control over Sac State. This allowed them to have numerous chances on the Sac State goal throughout the first half.
“You know when you play against good teams they are able to do those things like keeping the ball really well,” head coach Randy Dedini said. “They got us on our heels.”
Coming into the game, the Gauchos have kept five clean sheets out of their opening nine matches and have an overall record of 6-1-1.
Although conceding 15 shots in the first half, the Hornets’ defense did enough to only be down a goal entering halftime. However, the team only mustered up one shot during the entire first half.
When in possession of the ball, the Hornets failed to get it in good positions for their attacking players. Junior forwards Tea Reyes and Lexi Schroeder were among the attackers essentially taken out of the game due to the Gauchos breaking up the play and keeping the ball every time they won it back.
As the second half started, the Hornets started to get more aggressive on the ball. After pushing forward and doubling their shot count, the Hornets started to grow the confidence that they did not have in the first half.
The Gauchos would retain their dominance in the second half with several more shots headed toward the Hornets nest.
Passing the ball around the Hornet box in the 73rd minute, the Gauchos were hunting for a second goal.
Unable to clear the ball in their own box from across, the Hornets conceded a shot to junior defender Emily Caughey. Caughey stepped into the box and fired a shot toward the right side of the goal.
The shot got the best of Waller and gave the Gauchos a 2-0 lead in the 74th minute, making it harder for the Hornets to get back into the game.
Defending right outside the box, Sac State fail to make a clearance after a UCSB cross. The ball fell into the path for junior defender Emily Caughey to fire a shot into the back of the net.
2-0 UC Santa Barbara pic.twitter.com/Tnom8zJH9Z— Elisha K Chandra (@ElishaChandra_) September 15, 2025
As the game wound down, Sac State started to attack with a couple more chances falling their way. The Gauchos defense held up in the end to get their sixth clean sheet of the season.
The 2-0 defeat for the Hornets dropped their record to 4-5. The Hornets finished the game with five shots to the Gauchos’ 22.
“The effort was there for us,” Dedini said. “The ideas were there, but defensively, they were a little better. We were rushing some passes, which created turnovers.”
Sac State looks to bounce back on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 3 p.m. as they head back to Hornet Field to take on UC Davis. This will be the Hornets’ final game before Big Sky conference play starts.
