Championship central >>>
IRVINE, Calif. - The 2022 Big West Women’s Soccer Championship got underway Sunday night as sixth-seeded defending champion UC Irvine and No. 4 seed Long Beach State advanced past first-round matches via thrilling overtime triumphs.

The newly-expanded 2022 edition, up from four to six teams, continues with semifinal action this Thursday, Nov. 3, at Mustang Memorial Field on the San Luis Obispo campus of top seed Cal Poly. Second-seeded UC Davis will take on UC Irvine at 4 p.m., followed in primetime by the regular-season champion and host Mustangs against Long Beach State. That kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

The matinee final has a 1 p.m. start time on Sunday, Nov. 6, also at Cal Poly, with the champion once again earning The Big West’s automatic bid into the 64-team NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship.
 

No. 6 seed UC Irvine 2, No. 3 seed Cal State Fullerton 0 (OT)

Box Score | UCI presser | CSF presser
FULLERTON, Calif. - In an entertaining and taut affair that featured a total of six yellow cards, a saved penalty kick in regulation and two overtime goals, reigning champion UC Irvine knocked off third-seeded host Cal State Fullerton, 2-0, to open the 2022 Big West Women’s Soccer Championship Sunday night inside Titan Stadium.

Sixth-seeded UC Irvine, which needed a come-from-behind 4-1 victory over visiting Hawai’i on Thursday just to get into the tournament and gain a chance to defend its 2021 title, improves to 8-5-6 overall. Cal State Fullerton sees its season at 9-6-5. The Titans had entered as winners of two straight.

Sunday marked the third meeting this year between the sides. Cal State Fullerton took a 2-1 non-conference decision at home on Aug. 25, before a scoreless deadlock in the league matchup in Irvine on Oct. 2.

Each team was credited with its first shot within the first 61 seconds of the opening whistle, but there was no score at the halftime interval.

The best opportunity to that point arguably came in the 58th minute, that from the visitors. Amber Huff’s left-sided corner kick was headed out by a Titan defender, but only as far as Alex Jaquez at the top of the 18-yard box. The senior forward struck a right-footed shot that Erin Covey managed to get a foot on at the top of the six-yard box. The ball trickled just wide, however, of the left post. UCI earned its first five corner kicks of the contest over the first 16 minutes of the second half.

Against the run of play, a foul in the penalty area gave Cal State Fullerton a penalty kick in the 65th minute. Glo Hinojosa, the 2021 Big West Goalkeeper of the Year, went down to her left to parry away Kaya Hawkinson’s right-footed attempt, and the Titan senior couldn’t get a clear swing on the rebound attempt.

Titan goalie Mia Ranson came up with a huge double save on Huff and Aislynn Crowder in the 74th minute.

In both teams’ first overtime experience of 2022 as the NCAA did away with extra periods during the regular season, Suus de Bakker finally broke the deadlock at 94:24. The sophomore put a strong header on a right-sided Huff corner kick from 14 yards, which Ranson was just not quite able to handle, though the redshirt freshman made contact with the ball. Covey once again tried to flick it en route with her back to goal, but was adjudged to have not gotten a touch, and de Bakker thus had a first goal for the season. It went down as Huff’s team-best fifth assist.

Again with updated NCAA overtime rules that did away with sudden-victory goals, UCI began the second 10-minute session with effectively a clincher at 101:17. Another right-sided Huff corner was met perfectly in the middle by Destinee Manzo, who nodded into the left side from eight yards for her team-leading fifth. Huff upped her assist haul to six.

Ranson wound up with nine saves for Cal State Fullerton, while fellow All-Big West second-teamer Hinojosa had three stops for UC Irvine to post her eighth clean sheet on the year. The ‘Eaters held a 23-12 advantage in shots, including 6-2 in extra time. The physical contest saw a trio on each side who were shown yellow cards.
 

No. 4 seed Long Beach State 2, No. 5 seed UC Santa Barbara 1 (OT)

Box Score | LBSU Presser
LONG BEACH, Calif. -  A fitting brace by 2022 Big West Offensive Player of the Year Lena Silano propelled fourth-seeded Long Beach State past No. 5 seed UC Santa Barbara in overtime, 2-1, at George Allen Field on Sunday night.

With the result, Long Beach State moves to 7-6-6 overall. The Beach had dropped two in a row and were winless (0-2-1) over their last three to close out the regular season. UC Santa Barbara wraps up its campaign at 5-9-6. The Gauchos were winners of a season-best three straight coming into the day.

UCSB had just edged LBSU, 2-1, in its regular-season finale at home exactly one week prior on Sunday, Oct. 23, to book its postseason spot.

A mere 116 seconds after the second-half whistle, Silano produced a league-leading 15th goal to put the Beach on the board, with the assist going to sophomore teammate Alia Sinoff. Sinoff bounced a perfectly-weighted ball from just inside the LBSU half toward the top of the 18-yard box for Silano to run onto, and the Agoura Hills product did the rest, poking it past the goalkeeper and tapping into the empty net.

Silano nearly doubled the lead with a blast from distance in the 80th minute, but Taylor Little dove left to punch it out for a corner kick.

Moments later at 81:17, it was a brand-new ballgame at 1-1 as O’Callaghan Liu’s left-sided, right-footed cross was headed down and in from eight yards straight on by fellow sophomore Lauren Helwig. It was a team-best seventh goal for Helwig, with five coming over the last five matches, and a first collegiate point on the assist for Liu.

Early on in the first of two 10-minute overtime periods, the same duo hooked up for the Beach, as Sinoff’s right-sided cross was met at the near post by Silano’s right foot to regain a one-goal edge for the hosts. That gives the fifth-year senior forward a total of five multiple-goal efforts and four game-winners in 2022, eight goals in October, and 27 collegiately. Sinoff now has four assists.

Zora Standifer had five saves in net for the Beach, including going full extension to the right to deny an effort by Liu from just under 25 yards in the 38th minute. UCSB starter Evann Smith was credited with zero stops at the time of a forced exit due to an injury suffered on Silano’s opener. Little took over and had three saves.

UCSB held a slim edge in shots of 15-14, but Silano led all players with nine attempts in all and five on target.