For the second time in less than three weeks, defending men's champion UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly shattered the Big West regular-season attendance record.
Cal Poly set a new record with 7,143 fans in attendance for the Mustangs' 2-1 win over UCSB in San Luis Obispo on Oct. 17, but that mark did not last long, as a record crowd of 8,102 fans was on hand Saturday night at UCSB's Harder Stadium to watch the Gauchos beat Cal Poly, 3-1, and move one step closer to wrapping up the Big West championship.
Chris Pontius, Andy Iro and Ciaran O'Brien scored goals less than six minutes apart to give UCSB revenge for its 2-1 loss to Cal Poly on Oct. 17.
"Our fans are absolutely amazing and we had no doubt they would come out in full force for this one," UCSB coach Tim Vom Steeg said. "The crowd was a huge factor for us and the place went wild when we scored our first goal."
With the victory, UCSB (7-1-1) took a commanding six-point lead over the Mustangs (6-1-4) with three games remaining. The Gauchos are narrowing in on a fifth Big West championship since 2001.
The crowd of 8,102 is the largest crowd in the country this season for a college game.
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