Nick DePuy – Sophomore – Forward – UC Santa Barbara –
DePuy came through in the clutch on the offensive side of the ball in two crucial Big West Conference contests for a focused, determined, and patient UC Santa Barbara team. He one-touched the game winning goal into the back of the net going to the far post in the 99th minute of play after receiving a cross from teammate Ismaila Jome whose run down the left flank helped create the scoring opportunity. The heads up passing of sophomore midfielder Drew Murphy and freshman midfielder Ryo Fuji also set up the score.
DePuy also scored twice to play a key role in UCSB's 2-0 win on the road over Cal Poly before a crowd of 11,075 fans at Spanos Stadium in San Luis Obispo. DePuy's first goal was a strike from fifteen yards out to the near left post that was set up by a through ball from freshman forward Ludwig Ahl. His second score was a header from ten yards out with Ahl again contributing the assist. DePuy has scored a total of eight goals to date including five game winners. The Gauchos are unbeaten in their last four contests to improve to 9-6-3 with a 5-2-2 mark in conference play.
UC Santa Barbara will seek to keep their momentum going when they travel to tangle with the Hornets of Sacramento State in another Big West Conference matchup on Wednesday, November 5 to close out regular season play.
