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What 2 Watch 4
- A lone matchday remains for the 2023 Big West women's soccer regular season this Thursday, Oct. 27 with all five of the final matches set to start at 7 p.m. All matches will air live on ESPN+, check the listings here.
- Cal Poly, UC Davis, and Cal State Fullerton are guaranteed to finish within the league's top three pending the results of each respective match. The Mustangs, Titans and Aggies all have an opportunity to clinch the top two seeds this week with a win and earn a first-round bye heading into The Big West Women's Soccer Championship. The trio of Long Beach State, Hawai'i and UC Irvine are all jockeying for the fourth and final host seed although each team has clinched a playoff berth (seeds 4-6), respectively.
- Cal Poly plays host to UC San Diego while the Aggies and Titans both hit the road during the regular season finale. UC Davis visits UC Irvine while Cal State Fullerton simultaneously takes on Cal State Bakersfield to help shape the top half of the seeds in the playoff picture.
- Hawai'i returns to the mainland to take on Long Beach State in another Big West match featuring postseason implications. UC Riverside and CSUN help wrap the bow on the Big West's regular season when the two collide in Northridge.
- All eleven conference representatives have notched at least one Big West win in the standings this season.
Last Week Today
- A fast and furious start for UC Davis allowed the Aggies to take down league-leading Cal Poly, 1-0 on Aggie Soccer Field. Redshirt junior midfielder Risa Yamada found the back of the net just 30 seconds into the contest to give UC Davis an early 1-0 advantage. Yamada's goal goes into the record books as the third-fastest goal scored in program history, pushing the midfielder past fellow teammate Leslie Fregoso who scored just 40 seconds into a match when the Aggies faced Sacramento State a year ago. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Caeley Goldstein and Aggie's back line produced the team's fifth shutout of the season, ranking second amongst Big West schools. Goldstein stopped seven of the 16 shots UC Davis faced on the evening.
- The Aggies also secured another 1-0 win over UC Santa Barbara on Sunday to finish this week's slate with an unblemished record. Junior forward Emma Vane converted a tally from near mid-field to give UC Davis the game-winning goal in just the fifth minute of action.
- Cal Poly responded by completing a thrilling comeback against Hawai'i in its following match on Sunday. The Mustangs scored a pair of tallies just 32 seconds apart into the 85th minute to escape with the win. The senior-class duo of forward Olivia Ortiz and midfielder Kate Reedy sealed the deal for the Mustangs in clutch fashion during the road victory. Currently, Cal Poly sits atop The Big West standings with 19 total points ahead of the regular season finale.
- In Cal State Fullerton's lone match of the weekend, the Titans put up three tallies against Long Beach State to wrap up the 2023 campaign unbeaten at Titan Stadium. All three Fullerton goals were scored in the first half within the first 20 minutes of regulation. Makenna McGill scored a pair of goals (12:39 | 19:41) while Isabella Cruz sandwiched a tally between the two McGill scores. Currently, Cal State Fullerton sits in second place with 18 total points.
- UC San Diego scored three tallies within the first 20 minutes of regulation before gaining a four-goal lead versus CSUN. From there, the Matadors roared back with three straight scores of their own within a 14-minute span (50:17, 60:12, 63:37). During the 66th minute, sophomore midfielder Lindsey Park netted her second score of the match to secure a 5-3 Triton victory in the team's highest offensive output of the season. Lindsey Park recorded a brace, while Lizzy Teran, Courtney Hilliard, and Camryn Borg all found the back of the net in the win. Izabel Reyes notched two tallies and Ashley Cruz scored once to round out the list of goal-scores for CSUN in the setback. Reyes's five goals lead the team.
- UC Irvine's offense erupted for five scores on the road against Cal State Bakersfield to push the Anteaters past the Roadrunners into the Big West playoff picture with 12 points in the sixth and final spot. The 'Eaters netted a lone tally in the first half when sophomore forward Emilie Castagna found the back of the net off a header. UC Irvine would score four more times in the second half of play, courtesy of Madison Goerlinger, Desiree Mendoza twice, and Chole Ragon. Goalkeeper Glo Hinojosa earned the 33rd win of the graduate student's career.
Big West Playoff Picture
- The top two seeds earn opening-round byes on Sunday, Oct. 29, straight into the semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 2. The No. 1 seed will serve as the host for the semis and final on Sunday, Nov. 5, with the winner once again earning The Big West's automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship.
Currently, Cal Poly leads the pack with 19 points occupying first place. Cal State Fullerton takes second place now with 18 points.
With a pair of weekend wins, UC Davis separated its self and currently resides in third place with 17 points.
Long Beach State's 14 points slate the Beach in fourth place. Hawai'i and UC Irvine have both garnered 13 points before the final game of the regular season.
Big West Weekly Award Recognition
- UC San Diego midfielder Lindsey Park produced Big West Offensive Player of the Week Honors. This is Park's first weekly award of the sophomore's career.
Park posted a seven-point performance during the Triton's offensive eruption over CSUN on Thursday. The Torrance, Calif. native contributed a brace and an assist during UC San Diego's five goal triumph. The sophomore gathered career high in both categories, respectively. Park currently places third overall on the team with seven points.
- Bella Mayo's play on UC Davis's backline earned the junior defender Big West Defensive Player of the Week honors. This is Mayo's first career weekly award.
The Aggies recorded consecutive shutouts this week behind Mayo's defensive performance. Along with anchoring a backline that had two clean sheets, Mayo progressed the attack on multiple occasions and funneled multiple scoring chances with free kicks for UC Davis.
Mayo has started all 17 games for the Aggies this season on a defense that allows a league-best 1.00 GAA.
- UC San Diego freshman midfielder Alexis Nguyen takes home Freshman of the Week honors. This is Nguyen's first-career weekly distinction.
Nguyen notched a pair of assists in the Triton's win versus CSUN on Thursday. The freshman found the foot of fellow teammates Lindsey Park and Courtney Hilliard during UC San Diego's second and third tally of the night, respectively. UC San Diego bested CSUN, 5-3. The Stevenson Ranch, Calif. native has started all 17 matches for the Tritons while recording five total assists on the year.
Lurking Among the Nation's Best
- During weeks four and five of the season, NCAA DI Untied National Soccer Coaches Poll, Long Beach State is receiving votes to crack the nation's Top 25. Previously, UC Irvine also earned votes in the preseason and week two of the national poll.
Preseason Prognostications
- In a tightly contested battle at the top of the standings, Long Beach State has been selected as the top team in the Big West heading into the 2023 season, as voted on by the league's 11 head coaches.
The Beach (8-7-6, 5-2-3 BW) earned 87 points and two first-place votes in the polling to claim the top spot in the preseason table after appearing in The Big West Championship title match a year ago.
Coaches in the league also voted on a 12-person Preseason All-Big West team. Long Beach State claimed two spots on the preseason team with the pairing of Cherrie Cox and Maddy Perez earning the honors. In 2022, Cox became the sixth Big West Freshman of the Year in Long Beach history after tallying 15 points (5 goals, 5 assists) on the season, 12 of which came during conference play. Perez returns to the picture behind a 2022 campaign that was capped off with a 2022 Big West All-Conference First Team selection and All-West Region Third Team accolades for a stellar performance on the back line. Perez also earned Big West Freshman of the Year recognition during the 2021 season.
Cal Poly (9-7-3, 6-1-3 BW) was left from the top spot on the poll after notching one less point (86) than the Beach but still holds the advantage in first-place votes with four. The defending regular season champions will look to climb their way back to the top after falling in a hard-fought Big West Semifinals match to the eventual conference champion UC Irvine. Emma Brown boasts preseason honors after contributing to a Cal Poly defense that secured 10 shutout victories a year ago, the most in program history since 2009. Brown was selected to the 2022 All-Big West First Team, and 2022 United Soccer Coaches All-West Region Third Team, respectively, behind 1,786 minutes of play on the back line, qualifying for the most in program history since 2017.
One point also separated the third and fourth spots on the preseason list between UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton as the Anteaters accumulated 79 points (3 first-place votes) to rival the Titan's 78 points (oen first-place vote).
Defending conference champion UC Irvine (11-6-7, 3-2-5 BW) will look to clinch its third consecutive Big West Championship title after going on an NCAA Tournament run that included a berth to the Sweet Sixteen after dethroning No. 14 USC, 2-0, and advancing past Brown in PK's, 4-2, during the first two rounds on the national stage. UC Irvine's three representatives on the preseason team account for the most of any Big West institution. Gianna Crieghton started and played in all 24 matches last year to tie a single-season program record with 2,191 minutes played. The Anteaters will look towards the leadership and play of goalkeeper Glo Hinojosa, who returned to the team for a graduate year. Hinojosa was named MVP of the Big West Championship and set the single-season high for saves at UC Irvine with 86. Alyssa Moore also returns to the field after being tied for the team lead with six goals and earning a spot on the 2022 All-Big West Second Team and 2022 National Team of the Week for the week of Aug. 21st.
Cal State Fullerton (6-2-2, 9-6-5 BW) takes command of the list with its two honorees, Makenna McGill, and Kaylin Raibon. Raibon returns after making 18 starts as an outside back on the Titan's defense that produced a 1.088 GAA, placing third in the Big West a year ago. Raibon also celebrates a 2022 Big West Freshman of the Week honor after recording two assists in a crucial conference win on Oct. 6. McGill arrived at Cal State Fullerton from Washington State a year ago where the forward saw action in 12 matches in a Titan's uniform.
UC Davis (9-6-4, 6-2-2 BW) finished fifth in voting with 69 points. Senior Midfielder Leslie Fregoso led the Aggies in scoring with goals (6), ranking seventh amongst all players in the conference last year, clinching a spot on the 2022 All-Big West First Team.
UC Santa Barbara (5-9-6, 4-3-3 BW) received a lone first-place vote behind its 58 points and is projected to secure the sixth and final spot in the Big West Championship according to the votes. The Gauchos return Lauren Helwig as their top goal scorer (7) from a year ago earning 2022 All-Big West First Team honors. The Midfielder placed fifth in the conference with 15 points. Other than Helwig, the student-athletes listed above her in the top 5 have completed their respective collegiate careers.
Hawai'i slides into the seventh-place slot with 44 points. Graduate student Eliza Ammendolia gathered a 2022 All-Big West First Team Selection after starting in 13 of the team's 15 total matches.
UC San Diego (36), UC Riverside (29), CSUN (20), and Cal State Bakersfield (15) round out the preseason rankings. These four squads will be looking to shake up the league after improving last season.
Play across The Big West kicks off this Thursday, Aug. 17. Conference play begins on Thursday, Sept. 14 with four matches on the docket, kicking off a seven-week slate. Each side will see five home matches and three bye dates dotted throughout the Thursday-Sunday rotation that ends on Oct. 26.
2022 Postseason Rewind
- Last year's edition features six teams, up from four, with the top two seeds enjoying first-round byes. Those two sides were No. 1 seed and regular-season champion Cal Poly (9-6-3, 6-1-3 Big West, 21 points), and second-seeded UC Davis (9-5-4, 6-2-2 BW, 20 points). The Mustangs also earned the right to serve as hosts for the semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 3, and the championship match on Sunday, Nov. 6.
Although these teams claimed the top two spots in the 2022 Big West Women's Soccer Championship, both squads fell in the semifinal round in a pair of hard-fought matches. From there, fourth-seeded Long Beach State and sixth-seeded UC Irvine clashed in the title match, with the Anteaters securing the victory, 3-0.
After claiming consecutive Big West Championship crowns, UC Irvine was set to represent the conference on the national stage and mimic another magical run similar to last year.
The Anteaters avenged their regular season loss to the Trojans by shutting out No. 14 USC, 2-0, in the opening round at 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship.
The following match, The Big West Championship Most Valuable Player Glo Hinojosa came up with huge saves in regulation, overtime and the penalty-kick tiebreaker to propel UC Irvine past Brown University and into the third round of the 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship. The result of the first all-time meeting between the programs officially goes down as a 1-1 draw, with The Big West champion UC Irvine advancing 4-2 on penalty kicks.
UC Irvine's historic season ended at the hands of No. 3 Alabama, 3-1, in the third round of the 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship.
From The Big West to the Big Leagues
- In January 2022, Long Beach State forward Lena Silano was selected 34th overall by the Washington Spirit in the third round of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Draft.
Silano was the second straight player from the Beach to be drafted and is the fourth overall Big West student-athlete to hear their name called in the NWSL Draft. Former teammate, Kaitlin Fregulia and 2x Big West Defensive Player of the Year (2017, 2021) was selected 12th overall to the North Carolina Courage as the highest draft pick in Big West Women's Soccer history.
Silano won the 2022 Big West Offensive Player of the Year Award and has been an All-Big West selection twice (2021, 2022). The forward also was a member of the 2022 United Soccer Coaches All-West Region First Team.
Two months later, another alum of the Big West would have an opportunity to play in the NWSL as UC Irvine alum Scarlett Camberos was signed by Angel City FC (LA), marking her return to Southern California after spending time at Club América Femenil. The former Anteater scored 13 goals and notched seven assists during her senior season.
Another monumental moment for the conference occurred during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup while Quinley Quezada represented UC Riverside and the Big West on the biggest stage while playing for the Philippines. The squad suffered a 2-0 defeat versus Switzerland in the first group stage before winning its first-ever world cup match against New Zealand, 1-0 on July 25, 2023. However, The Philippines fell in its final group match to Norway, 6-0.
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