2026 Big West Men's Soccer Schedule | Standings | Stats | Week 1 Notes

What 2 Watch 4
The 2026 NCAA men’s soccer season is here, and all seven BIg West squads are ready to take the pitch in a thrilling opening week slate showcasing 11 matches from Thursday, Sept. 20 through Monday, Sept. 24.

A rivalry match and a ranked opponent are featured on Thursday’s schedule: First Sacramento State hosts UC Davis in the first non-conference Yolo Causeway rivalry since 2011, while defending champion UC Irvine welcomes No. 19 Oregon State to Anteater Stadium. Both the Anteaters and Beavers qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season. The other three contests on opening day are Pacific at Utah Valley, Utah Tech at Cal State Bakersfield and CSUN at UNLV.

Preseason favorite UC Santa Barbara will begin its campaign at home on Friday against San José State.

No. 19 Oregon State will stay in Orange County for the weekend as they are Cal State Fullerton’s season-opening opponent on Sunday. No. 21 GCU, a team that made it all the way to the Sweet 16 last year, will play at Sacramento State, also on Sunday.

Monday’s schedule will be highlighted by Cal State Bakersfield making the trek south to UCLA, an NCAA Tournament squad in 2025. Central Arkansas at Utah Valley and LMU at UC Irvine are the other two contests on Monday’s docket.

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!   

2026 Big West Men's Soccer Schedule

A New Look
The Pac-12 Conference and The Big West jointly announced a collaborative men’s soccer partnership designed to strengthen and sustain Division I men’s soccer opportunities across the western United States.

Instead of consolidating into one conference, the partnership will preserve auotmatic bids into the NCAA Tournament for both leagues.

As part of this strategic partnership, California Baptist, Cal Poly, UC Riverside, and UC San Diego will compete as affiliate members in Pac-12 men’s soccer beginning with the 2026–27 season. In addition, the Pac-12 and Big West will implement a scheduling collaboration featuring crossover matches between member institutions of both conferences.

This joint initiative reflects a shared commitment to preserving competitive opportunities for student-athletes and ensuring long-term sustainability for men’s soccer programs across the region.

2026 United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch
A total of six Big West standouts have been selected to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Men's Players to Watch list.

The lists are compiled and released by the Division I All-America Committees to highlight some of college soccer's top returning talent ahead of the 2026 regular season.

Five of the six honorees were also named to the 2026 Preseason All-Big West Team following impressive 2025 campaigns. 

Top Drawer Soccer National Top 100
A total of four Big West student-athletes were named 2026 Men's National Top 100 by TopDrawerSoccer.

2025 Rewind
The Big West showcased its parity last year, as there was a three-way tie between UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine and Cal Poly for the conference's regular-season crown. In the 2025 Big West Men's Soccer Championship, No. 2 seed UC Irvine defeated top-seeded and host UC Santa Barbara by a score of 2-1 for the crown. It was the Anteaters’ sixth Big West Championship title in program history.

With the league's automatic bid, UC Irvine was selected to compete in the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship. The Anteaters fell to Denver in the first round of the national tournament.

The Big West took 11 slots on the United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region men’s soccer teams with three players representing three member-institutions on the first team.

The Big West had two men's soccer standouts selected in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft. UC Davis senior defender Zack Lillington was selected with the seventh overall pick to St. Louis CITY SC. Cal State Fullerton redshirt freshman midfielder/defender Aiden Bengard was picked 67th overall in the third round by Minnesota United FC. The draftees become the 58th and 59th Big West men's soccer players, respectively, to be selected in the history of the MLS SuperDraft.

Big West in World Cup
The Big was represented on the world stage this past summer as UC Davis alum Maximilian Arfsten and UC Santa Barbara alum Michael Boxall participated in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. Arfsten came off the bench and played in one match, while Boxall started three games for a total of 207 minutes on the pitch. 

The Big West Men's Soccer
The Big West has built a proud men's soccer tradition since conference re-sponsorship in 2001. Across two and half decades of competition, six programs have captured the conference championship while Big West student-athletes have earned numerous All-America honors and produced 59 MLS SuperDraft selections.

The league's success has also reached the national stage, highlighted by UC Santa Barbara's 2006 national championship. The Big West has sent multiple teams into the NCAA Championship 14 times since 2002, including four teams (Cal Poly, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara) in 2008. 

The Big West is more than an athletic conference.

We are bold competitors, visionary leaders and driven student-athletes united by a commitment to excellence in competition, in the classroom and in our communities.

Our mission is to provide championship experiences that unite communities through the power of sport.

Founded in 1969, The Big West is an NCAA Division I conference comprised of 12 nationally recognized institutions: California Baptist, Cal Poly, Cal State Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, Long Beach State, Sacramento State, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and Utah Valley.

Stretching from the surf to the summit, our footprint reflects the diversity, innovation and ambition of the West. Together, our institutions are united by a shared pursuit of competitive excellence, academic achievement and meaningful service.

The Big West sponsors 19 NCAA Division I championships in baseball, softball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's volleyball, women's beach volleyball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, and men's and women's water polo.

We are united by a shared philosophy: Only The Bold®

Only The Bold® challenges us to think differently. To compete fearlessly. To lead with conviction. To embrace innovation, champion opportunity and pursue excellence without compromise.

Being bold isn't about making noise. It's about having the courage to challenge expectations, the confidence to forge new paths and the determination to strengthen every student-athlete, every campus and every community we serve.

The Big West. Only The Bold®.