The latest edition of the Blue-Green rivalry prompted a scene two years in the making as 8,000 fans descended on Harder Stadium for the largest on-campus crowd at UCSB since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Finn Ballard McBride gave the fans plenty to celebrate with two second-half goals that sparked a 2-0 UCSB victory over visiting Cal Poly.
“There’s no way to really prepare yourself. We have 20 new players in the program, so when you add 20 new players, you can show video and talk about it, but until you’re on the field and the people just keep coming and filling in and the students are great and everybody is loud, you do have to remember that it’s a soccer game,” said UCSB coach Tim Vom Steeg. “In terms of preparation, all you can do is put them out there and try to play the players who have the experience a little bit more.”
