IRVINE, Calif. (Aug. 15, 2022) – In a tight battle at the top, UC Irvine has been selected to repeat as Big West champions in 2022, as voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches.  

The Anteaters (16-6, 8-2 BW) earned 91 points and five first-place votes in the polling to sit atop the preseason table after taking The Big West Championship title and earning regular-season co-champion status. UC Irvine’s national postseason was punctuated with a remarkable 1-0 upset over No. 3 UCLA in the first round of the NCAA Championship, as the Anteaters handed the Bruins their first loss of the season.  

The coaches also voted on an 11-person Preseason All-Big West squad. Maddy Chavez, the lone defender selected, anchors the back line of the Anteaters and was 2021 Big West Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Chavez led the defense to a Big West-best .894 goals-against average and 10 shutouts on the season. 

Cal Poly (13-8, 8-2 BW) and Long Beach State (9-7-2, 6-3-1 BW) are five points back in a tie for second. The Mustangs and Beach combined for five first-place votes. Rounding out the top four and earning the final first-place vote is Cal State Fullerton (10-10, 7-3 BW).  

The 2021 Big West regular-season co-champions, Cal Poly took two spots on the preseason team with the pairing of Camille Lafaix and Nikki Trucco earning distinction. Lafaix is the returning Big West Midfielder of the Year after scoring eight goals and adding three assists in her second season on the field for the Mustangs. Trucco led the Cal Poly offense with 10 goals in 2021, including three game-winners. Trucco closed the season as one of three Big West scorers to hit a double-digit goal tally.  

The Beach is represented by senior Lena Silano, who paced the squad in 2021 with 11 goals to earn All-Big West first-team acclaim. Long Beach State narrowly missed out on the 2021 postseason after losing the tiebreaker for the fourth and final spot in The Big West Championship. 

Midfielder Kaya Hawkinson of Cal State Fullerton was tabbed to represent the Titans on the preseason team. The mainstay in the middle has started in 57 of the 59 games played in three seasons for Cal State Fullerton. Last season Hawkinson scored two goals, both on penalty kicks, and assisted on another. 

New in 2022, the Big West Championship field expands to six teams, and UC Davis (55 points) and UC Santa Barbara (52 points) were predicted to take the last two postseason slots. Hawai’i is slotted in seventh and just five points outside of the top six.  

Should the preseason prognostications ring true, UC Davis would see just its third Big West postseason and first since 2018, while UC Santa Barbara is aiming to make their fourth straight appearance in The Big West bracket. 

The Aggies join Cal Poly in taking two slots on the preseason team. Leslie Fregoso led the UC Davis offense in 2021, with seven goals and eight assists, and the single-season assist mark is a program best in the Aggies’ Division I era. An All-Big West first team selection last season, midfielder Risa Yamada was second in scoring trailing only Fregoso, finishing with six goals and four assists, and a team-best 53.3 shots on goal percentage. 

Playing for the hometown team, Hawai’i forward Kelci Sumida put five goals in the back of the net in 2021, including a career-first multi-goal match against CSUN en route to second-team all-conference honors.  

UC San Diego (34), UC Riverside (34), CSUN (20) and CSU Bakersfield (16) round out the rankings.  

The Tritons are represented on the preseason team by Kennedy Carter, co-captain for the 2022 season. Carter led the Tritons with five goals, including the game-winner in UC San Diego’s first-ever Division I victory at Southern Utah. 

CSUN’s Cindy Arteaga is representing the Matadors after tallying a team-best six points including four assists in 2021. Karen Flores of CSU Bakersfield punched in one goal for the Roadrunners last year, coming in the season finale at CSUN. 

Play across The Big West kicks off this Thursday, Aug. 18 with all 11 teams taking to the pitch. After a month of non-conference action, Big West action is set to commence Sept. 15.