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LOS ANGELES - LMU men's soccer closes out the non-conference portion of its 2014 slate on Tuesday, Oct. 14, hosting UC Santa Barbara under the lights at Sullivan Field. Kick off is set for 7 p.m.
The Lions enter the meeting riding a four-match unbeaten streak in which they have outscored their opponents 9-2 and posted two shutouts. LMU's most recent result was a 1-0 final at San Diego on Friday night. Sebastian De Rada scored the lone goal of the evening in the 67th minute and Paul Blanchette posted his second shutout of the season.
The victory bumped the Lions up five spots in the most recent NCAA DI RPI as they enter the week at No. 47.
De Rada's goal was his third of the season and he now ties Adrien Perez (4g, 2a) for the team lead with 10 points (3g, 4a).
The Gauchos enter Tuesday's meeting at No. 52 in the most recent RPI, released Oct. 13. UCSB was riding a four-match win streak that included an upset of then No. 6 nationally ranked UC Irvine, 1-0, on Oct. 4. But the Gauchos went on to drop a 2-0 decision at Cal State Fullerton and most recently played to a 1-1 double overtime draw at UC Riverside.
Ten Gauchos have found the back of the net this season, led by Nick DePuy's four goals. Drew Murphy has a pair of goals and team-high five assists. Much like the Lions, two Gauchos have split time in goal, combining for a 1.29 GAA and two shutouts.
FOLLOW THE LIONS
LMU vs. UCSB - Tuesday, Oct. 14 @ 7:00 pm - Sullivan Field
| Live Stats | Watch FREE on the LMU Sports Network
LION NOTES
• Craig Nitti and Adrien Perez were named to the 11-member John Rennie/Nike Invitational All-Tournament Team
• Senior defender Craig Nitti was named to the 2014 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List
• LMU was the preseason pick to repeat as West Coast Conference Champions, earning six first place votes
• Five Lions were named to the 11-member All-WCC Preseason Team including Craig Nitti, John McFarlin, Adrien Perez, Paul Blanchette and Sebastian De Rada
• Craig Nitt and Adrien Perez were named to TopDrawerSoccer.com's College Soccer Preseason Top 100 Players list • Adrien Perez scored his 15th career goal versus Grand Canyon (Sept. 26) putting him in tie for 8th in the LMU career goals record book
• Craig Nitti was named to the CollegeSoccerNews.com National Team of the Week (Oct. 5), as well as the College Sports Madness WCC Player of the Week, after scoring a pair of goals against Santa Clara and San Francisco that helped lead the Lions to a 1-0-1 weekend.
SERIES HISTORY VS UC SANTA BARBARA
The Lions are 9-12-0 in the all-time (since 1981) series with UC Santa Barbara. That record includes a 4-4-0 mark at Sullivan Field. The Lions won eight straight over the Gauchos from 1996-2005 and have since gone 1-4, including a 1-0 setback at UCSB in 2013. That lone recent victory was a big one however, as LMU took down then No. 6 UCSB in Santa Barbara, 2-1, on Sept. 13, 2009.
