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What 2 Watch 4
After five weeks of non-conference action, the first week of conference play in The Big West will begin featuring 10 games, five on Wednesday, Sept. 27 and five on Saturday, Sept. 30.
On Wednesday, CSUN (2-3-4) hosts Cal State Fullerton (6-2-2). The Titans enter conference play on a four-game winning, seven-game unbeaten streak. The Matadors started the season without a loss in its first five contests even knocking off then-No. 12 San Diego by a score of 3-1.
Cal State Bakersfield (4-1-3) has not suffered a loss in its last six games to end its non-conference schedule. The Roadrunners will travel to Sacramento State (3-6) first before traveling to CSUN on Saturday. Cal State Bakersfield has not given up more than one goal in a game so far this season for a league-leading goals-against average of 0.63.
The other matchups on Wednesday are UC Riverside (0-6-2) at UC Irvine (3-3-2), UC Santa Barbara (5-4) at UC San Diego (1-6-2) and UC Davis (3-3-2) at CSUN (2-3-4).
UC Santa Barbara welcomes UC Irvine to Harder Stadium. The Gauchos, last season’s co-regular season champions, has scored two or more goals six times out of nine games in non-conference action. UC Irvine started the season on a four-game unbeaten streak and has three shutouts so far.
The other matches on Saturday are UC San Diego at Sacramento State, UC Davis at Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly at UC Riverside.
All 10 contests are set to air on ESPN+, The Big West’s exclusive broadcast rights holder. Check the listings here to watch your favorite Big West teams in action.
Poll Position
Two Big West teams are featured in the latest United Soccer Coaches Far West Region Rankings. Cal State Fullerton improves on spot from No. 6 to the No. 5 spot after a 2-0 week. UC Santa Barbara holds down the No. 10 slot for the third straight week.
The Greatest Rivalry in College Soccer
The men’s soccer matchup between Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara has been called the single greatest rivalry in college soccer. The crowds of these games are record-setting and hold 18 of the top 25 largest NCAA men’s soccer crowds, excluding the postseason. The two teams meet twice every year, one as a non-conference matchup and one for league play.
In the first iteration of the rivalry this season UC Santa Barbara defeated Cal Poly 2-0 in front of 7.032 fans in Harder Stadium on Sept. 23.
Titans Score Galore
Cal State Fullerton is currently on fire with a four-game winning, seven-match unbeaten streak that includes a 4-1 drubbing of UCLA. The Titans are currently sixth in the nation in assists per game (3.10), eighth in points per game (7.70), eighth in goal differential (+12) and 16th in goals per game (2.30). Midfielder Roberto Ordonez leads the team and The Big West with 15 points (five goals, five assists).
Runners on the Rise
Cal State Bakersfield is on a six-game unbeaten streak. CSUB goalkeeper Brandon Limes tops the league in several different categories including goals-against average (0.625), save percentage (0.821) and shutouts (3). Forward Bilal Mihoubi has two game-winning goals on the season.
Gaucho Goals
UC Santa Barbara knows how to put the ball in the net. The Gauchos have scored 18 goals this season, ranking second in the conference and 21st in the nation. Nemo Philipp leads UCSB with four goals and three assists, while Lucas Gonzalez has two goals and four assists. Four other Gauchos have two goals apiece.
Magical Matadors
CSUN has had a knack for dramatic finishes with late-game heroics this season. In the season opener at Ohio State, with an 11-on-10 disadvantage due to a red card, freshman Jorge Solorzano scored the game-tying goal on a free kick with 20 seconds remaining to come away with a draw.
At then-No. 12 San Diego, playing once again with a man disadvantage, Levin Gerhardt and Jamar Ricketts each found the back of the net in the 81st and 86th minutes, respectively, to come away with a 3-1 win. At UCLA, Solorzano got the game-tying score on a penalty kick in the 88th minute for a 1-1 tie. In a 3-1 win versus UNLV, Ricketts scored the game-winning goal in the 79th minute.
Big West Goalies
Big West goalies are excelling with a number of names appearing in the national statistics top 25. Sacramento State’s Mac Learned leads the nation in total saves (51) and saves per game (6.38). Cal State Bakersfield’s Brandon Limes is 15th in goals against average (0.625) and 18th in save percentage (0.821). CSUN’s Cooper Wenzel is 25th in minutes played (794:53). Limes and UC Irvine’s Luke Pruter have three shutouts each and rank just outside the national top 25 at No. 27.
Preseason Prognostications
UC Santa Barbara is favored to win The Big West according to the 2023 Big West Men’s Soccer Coaches’ Preseason Poll.
The Gauchos (10-4-6, 4-1-4 BW) earned three first-place votes for a total of 72 points. Last year, UC Santa Barbara tied for second in the regular season standings and was the runner-up at The Big West Championship.
The coaches also voted on an 11-person Preseason All-Big West squad. Three Gauchos were featured on the preseason team in junior midfielder Lucas Gonzalez, junior forward Alexis Ledoux and senior goalkeeper Leroy Zeller. Last season, Gonzalez tallied two goals and six assists en route to an All-Big West Second Team selection, while Ledoux compiled one goal and three assists. Zeller, a First Team honoree last season and the reigning Co-Goalkeeper of the Year, played in 20 games and sported a 0.99 goals-against average.
Defending Big West double champion UC Riverside (8-8-4, 5-2-2 BW) was picked to finish second after earning four first-place votes, the most of any team, for 69 points and senior defender Brendan Clark earned a spot on the preseason team. Clark totaled seven goals and seven assists from the back line and was an All-Big West First Team selection last year.
CSUN (9-6-4, 5-3-1 BW) received two first-place votes totaling 63 points to come in third. Matador junior forward Jamar Ricketts was placed on the preseason team after earning All-Big West first team honors with five goals and three assists in 2022.
One point shy of the Matadors was UC Irvine (6-12-2, 5-3-1 BW) with 62 points and one first-place vote. The Anteaters were represented on the preseason team by senior defender Eddy Berumen and junior midfielder Francesco Montanile. Berumen compiled three assists and Montanile recorded two goals and four assists last season.
Sacramento State (9-8-2, 4-5 BW) and UC Davis (5-9-4, 4-3-2) tied for fifth in the preseason poll with 42 points apiece and each had one representative on the preseason squad. Hornet senior forward Austin Wehner was a 2022 All-Big West First Team honoree with four goals and three assists. Aggie senior forward Ethan Hoard was an honorable mention selection with three goals and two assists last year.
Cal State Fullerton (38), UC San Diego (33), Cal Poly (20) and Cal State Bakersfield (9) finish the rest of the poll.
Cal State Fullerton junior defender Giovanni Calderon and UC San Diego senior midfielder Alessandro Allen round out the preseason team. In 2022, Calderon recorded one goal and one assist for an All-Big West Honorable Mention distinction, and Allen had four assists to earn a spot on the Second Team.
2022 Rewind
The 2022 season saw UC Riverside (8-8-4, 5-2-2 BW) win both The Big West regular season and Championship titles.
In the final week of the regular season, the Highlanders trounced UC Santa Barbara at home by a score of 4-1 for the title and secured a No. 1 seed in The Big West Championship.
UC Riverside bounced No. 4 seed CSUN 4-1 in the semifinals and got the best of No. 2 seed Gauchos 1-0 in the finals in front of a packed house to earn its second Big West Championship title in program history. Highlander goalkeeper Carlos Gonazlez was named the Tournament MVP.
National Attention
Three Big West players are featured in the TopDrawerSoccer’s National Top 100 Players rankings. UC Riverside defender Brendan Clark tops The Big West at No. 70, followed by UC Santa Barbara goalie Leroy Zeller at No. 75. CSUN forward Jamar Ricketts is ranked No. 90.
In addition to those three, UC Irvine defender Eddy Berumen and Sacramento State forward Austin Wehner made the Top Players to Watch list in TopDrawerSoccer’s Big West preview.
Additionally, Brady Treinen (UC Irvine), Cyrus Neghabat (Cal Poly), Simon Vaca-Lorenzi (Sacramento State), Kaden Standish (UC Santa Barbara) and Jackson D’Alessandro (UC Riverside) were named as Top Freshman to Watch by TopDrawerSoccer.
The Big West in the World Cup
UC Riverside alum Aaron Long played in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, as a member of the 26-player United States men’s national soccer team (USMNT).
Long played in a total of 71 matches in four years (2010-13) at UC Riverside, primarily as a midfielder, accumulating 13 goals and five assists. The Oak Hills, Calif. native was a two-time All-Big West honoree.
Long was drafted in the second round, 36th overall, in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft by the Portland Timbers. After bouncing between MLS and USL for seven clubs, Long was a mainstay on the back line for the New York Red Bulls from 2017-2022. The former Highlander was the 2018 MLS Defender of the Year and has been named MLS All-Star twice (2018, 2022). Long returned home to SoCal in 2023 and currently plays for Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC).
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