Ohio was UCSB’s battleground state during the first month of the men’s college soccer season. The Gauchos made two trips there. They notched a pair of victories on the first tour, including a 1-0 shutout of Ohio State that gave them a boost in the polls. On their return last weekend, a pair of nationally ranked teams inflicted their first setbacks, 4-2 to Butler and 2-0 to Akron.
With a 4-2 record, the Gauchos are still a solid top-20 team, and they have a chance to go into Big West Conference play as the alpha dog if they are successful in their upcoming home stand (all three games kicking off at 7:05 p.m.):
• Saturday, September 17, vs. UCLA