SPOKANE, Wash. – A spirited effort by the Gonzaga men's soccer team came up just short in a 1-0 loss to UC Santa Barbara on Thursday night at Luger Field.

GU (0-5-0) created chances in the second half, but couldn't find the back of the net, while UCSB (2-2-0) took advantage of one of its few opportunities to get the win.

"It's disheartening and the nature of our game sometimes is that you play well and can still come away without a result," head coach Paul Meehan said. "In the second half, we did a better job of stretching them and played some better balls over the top. I thought we did a good job of pressing them and keeping possession of the ball."

After a scoreless first half, Gonzaga had a pair of opportunities in the first 10 minutes of the second half, starting with a Joe Corner shot that got past the goalkeeper, but hit the post. Just two minutes later, a rebound shot from McEntosh was saved but ended up on the head of Ljucovic, whose attempt hit the crossbar.

UCSB then got its opportunity and didn't miss to take a 1-0 lead in the 58^th minute.

Gonzaga had one more chance with a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box and a shot off the foot of Ljucovic was saved by the UCSB keeper.

Gonzaga will be back on the road on Sunday, heading to Cal Poly to take on the Mustangs with a 1 p.m. kick-off. Check GoZags.com for links to live coverage.