The Seattle University men's soccer team opened up the 2011 campaign battling a tough No. 9 UC Santa Barbara squad Saturday evening. Despite their best efforts, the Gauchos earned the 3-1 victory in front of a crowd of over 2,500 at Harder Stadium.

Immediately UCSB pushed the ball deep into SU territory and went on the offensive attack, sailing off a series of shots to open the game. The Gauchos controlled play primarily near the Redhawk goal for the first 16 minutes, until SU managed to push the ball towards the UCSB goal. Senior Elliot Richards (Seattle, Wash.) took a Seattle U corner kick in the 17th minute, but Santa Barbara was able to once again gain control of the ball following SU's offensive opportunity. They managed to capitalize on their offensive possession, as the Gauchos took a 1-0 advantage in the 19th minute behind a David Opoku goal.

After fending off UC Santa Barbara's continued attack for the remainder of the half, the Redhawk offense saw their first pair of shots in the 45th minute. Brandon Hamer (Carmichael, Calif.) andMikey Ramos (Spokane Valley, Wash.) sent in consecutive shots on target to close out first half action.

UCSB opened the second half by sending the ball near the SU goal. At 48:07, Opoku intercepted an SU pass and sent in second goal of the game to give the Gauchos a 2-0 advantage.

Down to nine players on the field, the Redhawks remained persistent to get their offensive game going and in the 71st minute Seattle U won the ball in the midfield. Freshman Travis Heim(Ridgefield, Wash.) received the ball on the flank and crossed it to an oncoming Kevin Cook(Gresham, Ore.), who scored Seattle U's first goal of the season.

UC Santa Barbara's offense, who outshot SU 20-5, added a final goal in the 87th. UCSB tallied nine shots on target to the Redhawks three.

Making their Seattle U debuts in the starting lineup were: Josh Alvarez (Fresno, Calif.), Scott Greenburg (Seattle, Wash.), Jens Klitgaard (Nykobing-Falster, Denmark), Ramos and Devin Thomas (Tacoma, Wash.). Also making his debut off the bench was Heim.

Seattle U's next pair of matches will be played Golden State, beginning with a Friday, Sept. 2 contest at UC Davis. First kick is slated for 5 p.m. Two days later they head to San Luis Obispo, for a 1 p.m. game at Cal Poly.

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