Big West Women's Soccer Weekly Release - Tournament Semifinal Edition
The 19th edition of the Big West Women's Soccer Tournament is set to begin Thursday in Fullerton as four clubs look to add more hardware to their trophy case. An automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament awaits the winner of the league's postseason derby, one that promises to be a tight affair after a regular season to remember.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, November 7
(3) UC Santa Barbara vs. (2) CSUN - 5 pm PT
(4) Hawai’i at (1) Cal State Fullerton - 7:30 pm PT
Sunday, November 10
Championship Match (ESPN3) - 5 pm PT
TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
It’s Tournament Time
After one of the most exciting conference seasons in history, the field is set for the 2019 Big West Women’s Soccer Tournament. Cal State Fullerton earned the top seed and host duties by virtue of winning the regular season title. A three-way tie for second resulted in CSUN grabbing the second seed, UC Santa Barbara the third seed and Hawai’i the fourth seed.
Gauchos vs. Matadors
CSUN won the regular season meeting at home 1-0 on the goal by Avery DeWitt. It continued a recent hot trend for CSUN against UC Santa Barbara, winning for the fifth time in the last six meetings. The two clubs have met on two occasions in Tournament history, both of which have been UCSB wins. In 2004 the Gauchos claimed a 4-2 victory and in 2009 recorded a 2-1 win.
Rainbow Wahine vs. Titans
Hawai’i has been the story of the season, setting a program record with 15 points on the campaign and reaching the Big West Tournament for the first time. UH faces a Cal State Fullerton team that is 10-4-6 all-time in the Big West Tournament and has claimed seven titles. The Titans have appeared in the championship game five times in the last seven years and won the Tournament the last time it hosted in 2014.
Titans Streaking
Speaking of Cal State Fullerton, the club enters the Tournament on an absolute tear. The team is in the midst of a program-record 14 game unbeaten run and allowed just four goals over its eight-match conference schedule.
The ‘Bows Shine Bright
Hawai’i earned a Tournament berth this year a year after missing out on a berth due to a loss in its final game of the season. The Rainbow Wahine are playing in their first conference tourney since 2011 when they were a member of the WAC. Their last win in a conference tournament came even further back...2007. That year UH won the WAC Tournament by a 1-0 score.
CSUN Looking For More
CSUN enters the Tournament with 11 wins, one shy of matching the program single season record. The Matadors have won that many games just three previous times with the most recent coming in 2010. This year also marks the most wins for the team since the 2016 campaign.
Offensive Powerhouse
UC Santa Barbara’s Shaelan Murison has been a nightmare for opposing defenses. Murison is fourth in the NCAA and leads the league with 41 points, most of that the result of an incredible 17 goals. Murison has been so dominant that she has recorded more goals than three teams in the league and is just two goals behind another.