The Big West 2021 Women’s Soccer Championship bracket is now set after seeding was determined on the final day of the regular season. The tournament will feature the top four teams in the standings. The top seed will take on the No. 4 seed and No. 2 will face off against No. 3 in the semifinal round on Thursday, Nov. 4. The day-one victors will tangle for the championship on Sunday, Nov. 7, with the victor earning The Big West automatic bid into the 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship.
UC Irvine (13-5) and Cal Poly (12-7) finished with identical conference records of 8-2 for 24 points to each earn a share of the conference regular season title. The Anteaters defeated the Mustangs 2-0 on the final day of the regular season to earn the tiebreaker, the top seed and hosting rights. UC Irvine won its last four games of the regular season, including the final contest against Cal Poly to get the top spot.
No. 2 seed Cal Poly will face Cal State Fullerton (10-9, 7-3 Big West, 21 points) in the first round. The Titans are the hottest team coming into the tournament with a six-game win streak, only allowing one goal during that span. The two teams faced each other in the regular season on Sept. 23 in San Luis Obispo, with the Mustangs coming out on top 3-2 in overtime.
Top-seeded UCI will host No. 4 seed UC Santa Barbara (8-8-3, 6-3-1 Big West, 19 points). The Gauchos defeated Long Beach State 2-1 on the final day of the regular season to earn the same number of points in the standings and earn the tiebreaker for the final spot. The Anteaters defeated UC Santa Barbara 1-0 in the regular season matchup between the two teams on Oct. 28.
The Big West Women's Soccer Championship was contested in 1996 and 1997 before taking a five-year hiatus. It returned in 2003 and has been played every year since, with the exception of 2020's COVID pause. Six schools have earned at least one tournament title, with Cal State Fullerton leading the way with eight victories. The Titans are also the defending champion from the 2019 season after claiming their record eighth Big West women's soccer title in program history.
Most Titles
| School |
No. |
| Cal State Fullerton |
8 (last 2019 |
| Long Beach State |
4 (last 2018) |
| Cal Poly |
3 (last 2004) |
| UC Santa Barbara |
2 (last 2009) |
| CSUN |
1 (last 2012) |
| UC Irvine |
1 (last 1997) |
Most Appearances
| School |
No. |
| Cal State Fullerton |
14 |
| UC Irvine |
13 |
| Cal Poly |
12 |
| Long Beach State |
10 |
| UC Santa Barbara |
9 |
| CSUN |
9 |
| Pacific |
5 |
| UC Riverside |
5 |
| UC Davis |
2 |
| Hawai'i |
1 |