2025 Big West Women's Soccer Schedule | Standings | Stats | Week 3 Notes (.pdf)

What 2 Watch 4
- Following the first pair of weeks, Cal Poly (0-0-4) and Cal State Fullerton have not sustained a losing result in 2025.  

CSUN, Hawai'i, Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Barbara have all notched at least one victory during the young season.  

- A total of nine matches are set to air live on ESPN+ this week. Please check the listings here to watch your favorite Big West squad in action!   

2025 Big West Women's Soccer Schedule


Pull Up to the Pitch
Cal Poly (0-0-4) — The Mustangs stayed unbeaten with back-to-back draws last week, battling through a pair of hard-fought matches. Alyssa Szarlacki anchored the defense at Fresno State, earning her first clean sheet in a Mustang uniform with eight saves in a scoreless draw. Back home on Sunday, Annika Smith struck early once again, and Brennan Cole added a second, but the Mustangs settled for a 2-2 result against Pacific despite firing off 27 shots. 

Cal State Bakersfield (0-2-1) — CSUB will look to regroup after last week's results against Weber State and Idaho State. Daniela Osejo leads the team with a goal, while Kamy Anaya has remained consistent in net with a 0.773 save percentage. 

Cal State Fullerton (0-0-1) — The Titans picked up a historic road win at Portland on Thursday, earning their first victory over the Pilots in five tries. Isabella Cruz delivered the difference-maker, then followed it up with a penalty kick goal in Sunday's 2-1 triumph over UTEP to secure back-to-back game-winners. The Titans improved to 2-0-1 on the year, with 20 players seeing the field in the home victory. Cal State Fullerton now looks to build on its unbeaten start as the season continues.   

CSUN (1-0-1) — CSUN fell in consecutive 0-1 matches, dropping a Thursday contest to Grand Canyon and a Sunday game to California Baptist. Riley Liebsack stood tall in goal with multiple saves in both outings, while Yoshi Rubalcava and Jordyn Canister led the attack with key shots. 

Long Beach State (1-3-0) —  Long Beach State opened its first road trip of the season with a tough test in Seattle, where Washington capitalized early to hand the Beach a 3-1 setback. Raddison Banks broke through in the 86th minute with a late strike, marking a second goal this season. In goal, Aurora Schuck stood tall with four saves, keeping LBSU within striking distance. Despite the late push, the Beach couldn't find the equalizer as time wound down.  

Hawai'i (1-2-1) —  Hawai'i opened the OUTRIGGER Soccer Kickoff with a 1-0 victory over Central Arkansas, as Caroline Carter struck in the first half and the Rainbow Wahine controlled play with 22 shot attempts. Kennedy Justin, and Brianna Chirpich split time in goal, combining for the clean sheet while the defense limited the Bears to just six shots. UH then closed the weekend with a 3-0 setback to Oregon, conceding a pair of early goals in the finale. 

UC Davis (1-1-1) — UC Davis battled back in its road matchup at San Jose State, with Summer Humphreys heading in a first-career goal off a corner from Viet-Thy Tran to pull even before halftime. The Aggies stayed level deep into the second half before the Spartans broke through late, scoring in the 87th minute to secure the 2-1 result. Despite the setback, UC Davis showed resilience and found a bright moment in Humphreys' milestone finish. 

UC Irvine (1-1-0) — UC Irvine opened the week with a 0-0 draw at San Diego, controlling possession and firing the match's first seven shots, highlighted by a near-breakthrough from Kori Pickelle in the 18th minute. The Anteaters returned home Sunday and went toe-to-toe with Washington, with Laurynn Ziller anchoring the defense in goal. UC Irvine now looks to build on its strong stretches of play heading into the next slate. 

UC Riverside (0-2-1) — UC Riverside battled UTEP to a scoreless draw Thursday night at UCR Soccer Stadium, highlighted by Spenser Gonzales making a milestone 50th career appearance. The Highlanders pushed forward early with Rylee Lewis creating chances down the flank, including a dangerous cross that found Lauren Nguyen just off the post. Despite the pressure, neither side could find the breakthrough as the match ended even. UCR now turns its attention to the upcoming nonconference slate 

UC San Diego (1-1-1) — UC San Diego opened the week with a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Northern Arizona, locking down defensively in a tight nonconference battle at Triton Soccer Stadium. The Tritons then broke through in Sunday's matchup with UNLV, as Ava Tibor delivered a brace and Molly Blom netted the game-winner in a 3-2 victory. Tibor has now scored four goals in the young season, already more than twice as many as any other Big West player. UC San Diego will look to build on the momentum heading into its next slate. 

UC Santa Barbara (1-1-1) — UC Santa Barbara earned its first win of the season Thursday night, defeating reigning WAC champion California Baptist behind goals from Hayden Halscheid and Erin Ellsworth. The Gauchos closed their opening homestand with a 1-1-1 record after a tough matchup against San Diego, where an early lead was erased by a 70th-minute own goal. 


Weekly Highlights
- Annika Smith scored the junior's first two goals of the season across three Cal Poly draws this past week. In a 2-2 home draw against No. 19 BYU on Monday, Smith scored just 4:16 into the match off an assist from Jessie Halladay. In Sunday's 2-2 home draw with Pacific, Smith found the back of the net just 5:29 into the match. Smith started in all three matches this past week, recording two goals and 10 shots across 228 minutes. In three seasons, the junior has made 41 starts across 43 appearances, recording 11 goals and three assists.


Caroline Carter scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 34th minute of Thursday's 1-0 win over Central Arkansas. The tally was the first of the freshman's collegiate career. So far, four different Rainbow Wahine players have scored a goal this year.

Haley Halscheid scored the game-winner for the Gauchos in their first win of the season against California Baptist. The goal was Halscheid's first career collegiate goal. The freshman then assisted on the Gauchos' lone goal against San Diego to finish her week with one goal one assist, and three points.

New Faces of The Big West 
- The Big West welcomes a new crop of leaders around the conference during the 2025-26 season. A trio of programs has welcomed new head coaches with Cal State Bakersfield, UC Davis, and UC Riverside, while Cal Poly kept its hire within the league.    

The Roadrunners welcome Whitney Pitalo, who most recently served as the First Assistant Coach at Boston College, aiding the Eagles to a 12-5-2 overall record and the team's best finish in the American Coastal Conference (ACC) since 2018. CSUB earned its first pair of victories in the Big West Championship last season, before being narrowly edged in the Final in penalty kicks. 

Kat Mertz joins the Aggies after orchestrating a program-changing run as head coach at NCAA Division II MSU Denver, posting a 39-20-19 overall record and a 28-12-8 mark in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) action over four seasons. UCD capped off 2024 with the best regular season record in the league at 13-5-2 and earned the No. 2 seed in the Championship behind a 6-2-2 performance in conference play.  

Mike Dibbini will now be the new manager of the Highlander. Dibbini brings nearly two decades of collegiate head coaching experience to UC Riverside, boasting a career record of 303-176-52 (.619). Most recently, he built Kansas State University's women's soccer program from the ground up, leading the Wildcats since their 2016 debut and steering them to multiple milestones, including a Big 12 Championship appearance in 2022. 

Bernardo Silva will now take the reins at Cal Poly, succeeding Alex Crozier, who led the Mustangs since the program's inception in 1991. After leading CSUB for two seasons, he set multiple Big West program records and guided the Roadrunners to their best conference finish in history. A former Mustang assistant (2013-16), Silva compiled an 11-20-9 overall record and 6-8-6 Big West mark while coaching the 'Runners.  


2025 USCA Division I Players to Watch
- A total of four standout Big West student athletes have been chosen to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women's Players to Watch list.

The listings are compiled and released by the Division I All-America Committees to promote college soccer leading up to the official start date for the regular season later this month. Honorees include United Soccer Coaches All-Americans and All-Region players from 2024 who are scheduled to return for the 2025 season. 

Superwoman 
- Isabella Cruz of Cal State Fullerton has been selected as one of The Big West's pair of 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year conference nominees.  

Each year, NCAA member schools nominate graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves on and off the field of play. From there, the NCAA Woman of the Year selection process narrows the pool to the Top 30 honorees—10 from each division—before selecting three finalists from each division. The award recipient is chosen by the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics and honored at the NCAA Convention. 

A second-generation Latina and standout student-athlete, Cruz has exemplified excellence both on and off the field. She completed her bachelor's degree in communications in just 2.5 years, graduating summa cum laude with a 3.9 GPA, and is currently pursuing a master's degree in professional communications while competing in her final season of NCAA eligibility. As a team captain for the CSUF women's soccer program, she has led with integrity, building a team culture centered on inclusivity, support, and growth.  

Beyond athletics, she serves as her team's representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), advocating for the student-athlete experience across campus. Her commitment to service is evident through her volunteer work with Football for Her, campus engagement efforts like promoting voter participation, and community-driven initiatives such as food drives and holiday gift collections.  

In addition to her academic and service contributions, Cruz has gained hands-on experience in sports marketing as an intern with Orange County Soccer Club, and currently serves as the social media manager for Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), using digital storytelling to foster connection and purpose. 


International Action
- Cal State Bakersfield senior Catalina Roggerone has once again been called up to the Argentina Women's National Team, making the midfielder's second appearance in 2025. The Mendoza, Argentina native helped the squad reach the semifinals and secure a podium finish, placing third overall in a major international tournament. 

Preseason Prognostics 
-Hawai'i has been selected as the preseason favorite to capture the 2025 Big West women's soccer title, as voted on by the league's 11 head coaches. Four teams received at least one first-place vote on the preseason poll.  

The Rainbow Wahine, who finished 12-8-1 overall with an 8-1-1 record in conference play last season, earned 88 points and six first-place votes to claim the top spot after earning their first-ever Big West regular-season championship.   

Defending tournament champion UC Santa Barbara (8-6-9, 4-2-4 BW) ranks second with 84 points and three first-place selections, followed closely by UC Irvine (6-7-6, 4-2-4 BW) with 81 points and one first-place nod. Long Beach State (6-9-3, 3-5-2 BW) collected 74 points and a first-place vote to land in fourth, while Cal State Fullerton sits just behind in fifth at 73 points. 
 
Cal Poly (5-11-3, 3-6-1) finished sixth in the voting at 53 points, followed by UC San Diego (3-12-4, 1-6-3 BQ) in seventh with 42 points, and UC Davis's (13-5-2, 6-2-2 BW) 37 points placed the Aggies in eighth. Cal State Bakersfield (8-10-5, 4-3-3 BW) and CSUN (5-11-3, 3-4-3 BW) are knotted at No. 9 with 27 points as UC Riverside (2-13-4, 0-6-4 BW) rounds out the 2025 preseason coaches' poll.   

Coaches also voted on an 11-member Preseason All-Big West Team featuring standout student-athletes from across the conference. Cal State Fullerton and Hawai'i led the way with both squads having a pair of representatives on the team.   

The Big West unveiled its 11-member Preseason All-Conference Team, as voted on by league head coaches. The list features top returning talent from across the conference, with Cal State Fullerton and Hawai'i leading all programs with two selections each.  

Representing the Titans are forward Isabella Cruz and defender Kaylin Raibon, who finished second and third in team scoring last season.   

Preseason favorite Hawai'i places midfielder Nalani Damacion, the 2024 Big West Midfielder of the Year, and forward Amber Gilbert on the squad. Last season, Damacion notched seven goals, including five game-winners, while Gilbert was a consistent threat up top in 17 starts.  

The preseason list also includes Cal State Bakersfield's standout goalkeeper Kamy Anaya, who helped lead the Roadrunners to their first Big West Final in program history with a .770 save percentage. Long Beach State forward Cherrie Cox returns to the pitch after claiming the 2023 Big West Offensive Player of the Year accolade behind a 13-goal campaign.   

UC Davis forward Genavieve Fontes, the league's top scorer last season with 11 goals, earns a spot alongside UC Santa Barbara's forward Devin Greer, who tallied 10 goals en route to 2024 Freshman of the Year honors.   

Jessie Halladay led the Mustangs as a forward with 11 points in 2024, while Mihaela Perez of UC Irvine helped anchor a defense that recorded five clean sheets in 19 starts. Midfielder Yoshi Rubalcava rounds out the 2025 preseason team as CSUN's representative after posting career-highs in both goals (5) and points (12) a year ago.  

The 2025 Big West Women's Soccer Championship is set to begin on Sunday, Nov. 2, with first-round matches hosted by the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, who will face the No. 6 and No. 5 seeds, respectively.  From there, our semifinals and the title match will take place at the home venue of the 2025 regular-season champion and No. 1 seed. Semifinal action is slated for Thursday, Nov. 6, with the Championship Final set for Sunday, Nov. 9. The winner will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship.  

Action across The Big West kicks off this Thursday, Aug. 14, while league play commences Thursday, Sept. 18, with four matches on the docket, kicking off a seven-week slate. Each side will play five home matches and have three bye dates throughout the Thursday-Sunday rotation, which concludes on Oct. 30.

 

2024 Postseason Rewind  
- No. 3 seed UC Santa Barbara opened its postseason run with a 2-1 win over No. 6 seed Cal State Fullerton. Freshman standout Devin Greer led the way with a goal and an assist, including the game-winner in the 73rd minute. 

In the later first-round match, No. 5 seed Cal State Bakersfield made history in their Big West Championship debut, upsetting three-time defending champion and No. 4 seed UC Irvine 1-0 behind Kamy Anaya's eight-save shutout and Isis Salazar-Ortega's 44th-minute strike. 

The semifinals at Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium in O'ahu, brought more drama. UCSB edged No. 2 seed UC Davis 3-2 in double overtime thanks to Greer's penalty kick to reach the title match for the first time since 2018, while CSUB stunned top-seeded and regular-season champion Hawai'i, 3-0, to reach their first-ever Big West Championship final in any sport, still without allowing a postseason goal. 

In the Championship final, UCSB and CSUB battled to a stalemate before the Gauchos prevailed 8-7 in a penalty shootout to claim their third Big West title, all won via PKs. The victory sent UCSB to its 10th NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship appearance. 

 

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 was also 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.