SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - UC Riverside went ahead in the 20th minute, but fell 2-1 to UC Santa Barbara on Saturday night at Harder Stadium. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• UC Riverside put a substantial amount of pressure on the Gauchos' midfield and back line in the opening 15 minutes. Christian Ceja dispossessed a Santa Barbara midfielder in the 18th minute and Brendan Clark passed from the left flank to set up a ball into the box that found the Gauchos'  goalkeeper.
• AJ Meade-Tatum aided in a Highlander attack in the 20th minute and Noah Lopez patiently waited up top before feeding Edward Castro for the freshman's second goal of the season. 
• Carlos Gonzalez preserved the 1-0 scoreline in the 28th minute with a clutch save on the goal line as the Gauchos scurried for the equalizer. Gonzalez, who made three saves on the night, came off his line in the 33rd minute to beat a Gaucho attacker to the ball and prevent a shot. 
• UC Santa Barbara equalized just before halftime on a corner kick that found the back of the net after a second attempt from a Gaucho attacker in the 40th minute. The Highlanders were on their back foot for the remaining five minutes of the half as the home side continued to press for a go-ahead strike. 
• UCR dodged a bullet just out of halftime with a Gaucho header off a corner kick that just missed the far post. UC Santa Barbara continued to stay on the ball out of halftime until getting the go-ahead strike in the 51st minute. 
• Lopez had a go at goal in the 72nd minute, but saw his shot deflected just wide of the post. UCR's ensuing corner proved unsuccessful. 
• UC Riverside stood over a free kick in the 79th minute that almost bounced over Santa Barbara's keeper, but was collected on the line. Nathan Scott found Luka Lukic on the near post on a free kick in the 85th minute, but Lukic's header was turned away. Lukic then turned and fired from six yards out in the 89th minute but was denied once more. 

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

• UC Riverside reached a pair of individual career milestones on Saturday in Santa Barbara, as Clark made his 50th UCR start and Gonzalez made his 50th UCR appearance. 
• Lopez grabbed his first assist of the season and second in as many regular season matches against the Gauchos. Castro, meanwhile, now has two goals and an assist in his last five matches. The duo switched roles from Wednesday after Castro assisted on Lopez for UCR's second strike against Sacramento State earlier in the week. 

UP NEXT

• UC Riverside is back home on Wednesday, October 11 to host UC San Diego at the UC Riverside Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+ and tickets are available for purchase at highlanderstickets.universitytickets.com.