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What 2 Watch 4
- Week three brings another action-packed stretch across Big West women’s soccer, with 18 matches slated from Thursday, Aug. 27, through Monday, Aug. 31.
Utah Valley takes center stage with a pair of nationally ranked opponents visiting UCCU Stadium. The Wolverines welcome No. 12 Kansas on Thursday before closing the week against in-state rival No. 9 BYU on Monday, while Cal State Fullerton travels to face No. 1 Stanford on Sunday.
An all-Big West non-conference matchup pits (RV) UC Santa Barbara against California Baptist on Thursday in Riverside. The Lancers enter at 2-0-1 behind three straight shutouts, while unbeaten Long Beach State (3-0-1) hosts Weber State after holding its first four opponents scoreless. Sacramento State also enters Thursday’s home contest against Southern Utah with a 3-0-1 record.
Cal Poly hosts San Diego before visiting Arizona State, while Cal State Bakersfield, CSUN and UC Irvine each hit the road. UC Riverside welcomes Utah Tech, and UC San Diego hosts Pacific to round out the week.
A total of 11 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 Women's Soccer Schedule
The Big West in the National Rankings
- The Gauchos’ perfect start has earned national recognition, with UC Santa Barbara receiving votes in this week’s United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I poll.
UC Santa Barbara has opened the season with three consecutive clean sheets, outscoring its opponents 6-0 behind six different goal scorers. Goalkeeper Maddie Buckley remained perfect in net after shutting out San Jose State and playing the first half of a combined clean sheet against Fresno State, making six saves on 14 shots faced without conceding a goal. The Gauchos look to strengthen their national resume on the road against California Baptist on Thursday and UC Davis on Sunday.
Chloe's Corner of Highlights
Wins of The Week
- California Baptist (2-0-1) — The Lancers remained unbeaten with a 1-0 victory over UNLV, opening the season with three consecutive clean sheets for the first time in their Division I era. Forward Tyra King headed home the winner in the eighth minute off an assist from Anja Jestrovic, while goalkeeper Mikayla O’Brien collected three saves. California Baptist welcomes UC Santa Barbara on Thursday.
Cal Poly (2-1-0) — The Mustangs turned in a commanding performance to defeat San Jose State 3-0 at Spanos Stadium. Midfielder Miah Thomas recorded a first-half brace for the first multi-goal match of their collegiate career before Sam Liaty added a first goal as a Mustang shortly after halftime. Cal Poly hosts San Diego on Thursday before visiting Arizona State on Sunday.
Cal State Fullerton (1-1-1) — The Titans secured their first victory of the season with a 2-1 comeback win over LMU in their home opener. Sasha Amezcua equalized from the penalty spot in the 54th minute before Cassie Villanueva delivered the game-winner with three minutes remaining, while goalkeeper Allison Craycroft made four saves to earn a first collegiate victory. Cal State Fullerton travels to San Jose State on Thursday and No. 1 Stanford on Sunday.
CSUN (1-2-0) — The Matadors broke into the win column with a 1-0 home victory over Idaho State, earning their first win in a home opener since 2015. Ariana Lopez-Angel converted the decisive penalty kick in the 76th minute, while goalkeeper Hayden Mauldin finished with nine saves and stopped a first-half penalty to preserve the clean sheet. CSUN heads to Grand Canyon on Thursday before facing New Mexico on Sunday.
Long Beach State (3-0-1) — The Beach continued their unbeaten start by sweeping a road trip with a 5-0 victory at Fresno State and a 2-0 win at New Mexico State. Forward Cherrie Cox powered Thursday’s attack with a first career hat trick, scoring three times during a 17-minute stretch in the second half. Cassidy Drago netted a first collegiate goal against New Mexico State, while goalkeeper Aurora Schuck extended the Beach’s season-opening shutout streak to four matches. Long Beach State returns to George Allen Field to host Weber State on Saturday.
Sacramento State (3-0-1) — The Hornets remained unbeaten after earning a 2-1 road victory over Nevada, matching their best four-match start since 2009. Tierra Pickell opened the scoring in the 13th minute before Ellie Farber struck nine minutes later for a second goal and second game-winner of the season, while goalkeeper Alexa Malaspina contributed four saves. Sacramento State returns home to host Southern Utah on Thursday.
UC Riverside (1-2-0) — The Highlanders secured their first victory of the season by pulling away for a 3-1 road win over UMKC. Morgan Humphrey opened the scoring with a first collegiate goal before Albertine Faye converted a penalty kick and Finley Aghassi added another tally during a two-goal second-half surge. UC Riverside returns home to welcome Utah Tech on Thursday.
UC San Diego (2-1-1) — The Tritons completed an unbeaten road week by defeating UNLV 2-1 before battling Northern Arizona to a scoreless draw. Forward Ava Tibor converted an early penalty against the Rebels before Alexis Nguyen supplied the game-winner in the 76th minute. Goalkeeper Charlotte Wilfert totaled nine saves across the two matches and recorded a first collegiate shutout in Flagstaff. UC San Diego returns to Triton Soccer Stadium to host Pacific on Sunday.
UC Santa Barbara (3-0-0) — The Gauchos extended their perfect start with back-to-back shutouts, edging San Jose State 1-0 before racing past Fresno State 4-0. Ava Jarolimek, Isabella Ong, Caitlyn Simons and Emily Caughey each scored during an opening 18-minute outburst against the Bulldogs as UC Santa Barbara completed a perfect homestand. The Gauchos hit the road to face California Baptist on Thursday and UC Davis on Sunday.
USCA West Region Rankings (Week 2)
- For the second straight week, six Big West programs earned recognition in the United Soccer Coaches West Region Poll, occupying six of the top seven positions.
UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly held steady at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Long Beach State made the week’s biggest move, climbing three spots to No. 5, while California Baptist rose two places to No. 4 and Sacramento State jumped two positions to No. 7. Utah Valley shifted from No. 4 to No. 6.
The Beach, Gauchos, Hornets, Lancers, Mustangs and Wolverines have combined for a 13-2-4 record this season.
Weekly Awards
- Cherrie Cox of Long Beach State delivered the first hat trick of the forward's collegiate career to earn Big West Offensive Player of the Week honors for the week of Aug. 24. This is the third weekly honor of Cox's career. Cox contributed three second-half goals in a span of 17:01 during the Beach’s 5-0 road victory over Fresno State. The senior converted all three shot attempts to record the program’s first hat trick since Aug. 19, 2023. The Torrance, Calif., native established a career high with six points before helping LBSU complete a perfect road trip with a 2-0 win at New Mexico State. Cox finished the week with three goals, six points and five shots. The forward leads the Beach with four goals and eight points through an unbeaten 3-0-1 start.
Long Beach State goalkeeper Aurora Schuck recorded two more clean sheets during a perfect road trip to secure Big West Defensive Player of the Week honors for the week of Aug. 24. This is the second straight weekly award for Schuck after earning the distinction on Aug. 18, 2026. Once again, Schuck played all 180 minutes without conceding a goal, making three saves in a 5-0 victory at Fresno State and three more in a 2-0 win at New Mexico State. The netminder has opened the season with four consecutive clean sheets and 360 scoreless minutes in goal. Schuck has stopped all 11 shots on target while helping the Beach begin the year at 3-0-1. The senior goalkeeper owns a perfect 1.000 save percentage and a 0.00 goals-against average this season and has recorded 14 solo shutouts during a Long Beach State career.
Long Beach State midfielder Taylor Bellotti scored the first goal of the first year's career to collect Big West Rookie of the Week honors for the week of Aug. 24. This is the first weekly award for Bellotti. Bellotti needed just 1:03 to open the scoring in the Beach's 5-0 victory at Fresno State, striking from outside the box after receiving a pass from Radisson Banks. The goal ultimately stood as the game-winner. The San Francisco, Calif., native started both matches as Long Beach State completed a 2-0-0 road trip and outscored Fresno State and New Mexico State by a combined 7-0 margin. Bellotti has made two starts through four collegiate appearances, totaling one goal, two points and four shots.
Statistically Speaking
2026 NCAA Women’s Soccer Stats
2026 Big West Women’s Soccer Overall Stats
2026 Big West Individual Leaders Link
New Kids on the Pitch
- The Big West welcomes California Baptist, Sacramento State and Utah Valley in 2026, adding three championship programs with a combined nine NCAA Division I Championship appearances.
California Baptist enters after winning consecutive WAC Tournament titles and earning NCAA Championship berths in 2024 and 2025. The Lancers captured the 2025 crown after erasing a two-goal deficit against fellow newcomer Utah Valley and prevailing in a penalty shootout.
Sacramento State brings three Big Sky Tournament titles and three NCAA appearances. The Hornets' latest championship came in 2024, when they became the first program in Big Sky history to advance through every postseason round via penalty kicks.
Utah Valley arrives having won four consecutive WAC regular-season titles from 2022-25. The Wolverines finished 14-5-3 and earned an at-large NCAA berth in 2025, marking their fourth national postseason appearance.
2026 USCA Players to Watch
- A total of four standout Big West student-athletes have been selected to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women'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.
All four honorees were also named to the 2026 Preseason All-Big West Team following impressive 2025 campaigns. Annika Smith recorded seven goals, four assists and 18 points on the way to Big West Offensive Player of the Year honors, while Camryn Cruz produced six goals and an assist for Cal State Fullerton. California Baptist's Anja Jestrovic paced the Lancers with eight goals, eight assists and 24 points, while Mikayla O'Brien collected 88 saves and six shutouts en route to being named the WAC Goalkeeper of the Year.
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 2025 who are scheduled to return for the 2026 season.
| Camryn Cruz |
Sophomore |
Midfielder |
Cal State Fullerton |
| Mikayla O'Brien |
Fifth |
Goalkeeper |
California Baptist |
| Anja Jestrovic |
Senior |
Forward/Midfielder |
California Baptist |
| Annika Smith |
Senior |
Forward |
Cal Poly |
Top Drawer Soccer 2026 Women's Breakout Candidates
- A total of 11 Big West student-athletes have been named 2026 Women's Big West Breakout Candidates by TopDrawerSoccer.
The list features emerging talent from 11 conference programs, including 2025 Big West All-Freshman Team selections Mia DiLeo, Jaiden Gore and Kayalily Penn, along with WAC All-Freshman honoree Kandace Koerth.
| Ashley Brewer |
Forward |
Cal Poly -has since transferred |
| Gianna Costello |
Forward |
UC Irvine |
| Mia DiLeo |
Forward |
UC Riverside |
| Bailey Fuller |
Midfielder |
Sacramento State |
| Jaiden Gore |
Midfielder |
Cal State Bakersfield |
| Malia Jessop |
Midfielder |
Utah Valley |
| Kandance Koerth |
Forward |
California Baptist |
| Ruby Mansour |
Defender |
Long Beach State |
| Kayalily Penn |
Forward |
Cal State Fullerton |
| Olivia Shih |
Midfielder |
UC San Diego |
| Caitlyn Simons |
Midfielder |
UC Santa Barbara |
2026 Preseason Prognostics
- Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara have been selected as co-favorites to capture the 2026 Big West women's soccer title, as voted on by the league's 12 head coaches. Four programs received at least one first-place vote in the tightly contested preseason poll.
Defending Big West champion Cal Poly (10-3-9, 6-2-2 BW) and 2025 Championship runner-up UC Santa Barbara (13-5-5, 5-2-3 BW) each collected 100 points to share the top spot. The Mustangs earned a poll-high five first-place votes, while the Gauchos received four.
Cal State Fullerton (14-3-3, 6-2-2 BW) landed just behind the co-favorites in third with 98 points and one first-place selection. Big West newcomer Utah Valley (14-5-3, 9-0-1 WAC) garnered the remaining two first-place votes and 95 points, earning a fourth-place finish slightly behind the Titans.
UC Irvine (8-5-7, 5-2-3 BW) sits in fifth with 76 points, followed closely by newcomer California Baptist (10-9-4, 6-3-1 WAC) in sixth with 75 points. Long Beach State (5-8-5, 2-4-4 BW) collected 72 points to take seventh in a close margin at the middle of the pack.
2025 regular-season champion CSUN (8-7-5, 6-1-3 BW) was voted eighth. UC San Diego (5-6-8, 3-3-4 BW) landed in ninth with 45 points, followed by Cal State Bakersfield (8-9-2, 5-4-1 BW) in 10th with 33. UC Riverside (0-16-2, 0-9-1 BW) earned 22 points to take 11th, while new member Sacramento State (6-11-1, 2-5-1 Big Sky) rounds out the 2026 preseason coaches' poll with 18 points.
Coaches also voted on an 11-member Preseason All-Big West Team featuring standout student-athletes from across the conference. California Baptist, Long Beach State and Utah Valley led all programs with two selections apiece.
Representing defending champion Cal Poly is forward Annika Smith, who started all 22 matches and finished the 2025 campaign with seven goals, four assists and 18 points as The Big West's Offensive Player of the Year in 2025
Long Beach State placed forwards Radisson Banks and Cherrie Cox on the preseason squad. Banks earned All-Big West Second Team recognition after producing four goals and five assists for 13 points across 18 matches. Cox recorded five goals and two assists for 12 points despite appearing in just 10 contests and returns with 2023 Big West Offensive Player of the Year recognition.
Defender Emily Caughey represents UC Santa Barbara after appearing in 22 matches and contributing two goals and an assist in 2025. The All-Big West Second Team selection helped the Gauchos advance to the Championship Final, scoring a game-winning goal in the first round of postseason play.
Utah Valley's first Big West preseason team selections are midfielder Josie Clawson and defender Mia Owens. Clawson earned All-WAC Second Team honors after registering five goals and five assists for 15 points across 22 matches. Owens was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year after starting all 22 contests, logging 1,794 minutes and contributing one goal and two assists while helping the Wolverines record seven shutouts.
Newcomer California Baptist is represented by midfielder Anja Jestrovic and goalkeeper Mikayla O'Brien. Jestrovic paced the Lancers with eight goals, eight assists and 24 points across 22 appearances, while O'Brien collected 88 saves and six shutouts en route to 2025 WAC Goalkeeper of the Year honors.
The preseason team also features midfielder Camryn Cruz of Cal State Fullerton, defender Hailey Clingan of UC Irvine and defender Sydney Lipkin of CSUN. Cruz started all 20 matches and produced six goals and an assist for 13 points. Clingan made 19 starts across 20 appearances, logging 1,712 minutes while helping the Anteaters record eight shutouts. Lipkin started all 20 contests and played 1,798 minutes for a Matador defense that registered nine clean sheets and allowed just 16 goals.
The 2026 Big West Women's Soccer Championship begins Wednesday, Nov. 4, with first-round matches hosted by the higher seeds. The top six teams will qualify for the postseason, with the top two seeds receiving first-round byes. Semifinal action is slated for Saturday, Nov. 7, with each matchup hosted by the higher seed. The Championship final will follow on Saturday, Nov. 14, with the highest remaining seed serving as host. The winner will earn The Big West's automatic berth into the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship.
Action across The Big West kicks off Wednesday, Aug. 12, while conference play begins Wednesday, Sept. 23. The regular-season slate concludes Saturday, Oct. 31.
Select regular-season contests are slated for broadcast on ESPN+. Please check The Big West's listings for upcoming matchups and additional information.
2025 Postseason Rewind
- No. 3 seed Cal State Fullerton opened the 2025 Big West Women's Soccer Championship with a dramatic 1-0 victory over No. 6 seed Cal State Bakersfield. The Titans broke the scoreless tie with just 84 seconds remaining, while Isaac Ranson recorded three saves to preserve the shutout.
In the later first-round match, defending champion and No. 5 seed UC Santa Barbara edged No. 4 seed UC Irvine, 1-0. Emily Caughey scored the game-winner off a feed from Mya Delaney in the 52nd minute, while Maddie Buckley helped the Gauchos withstand UCI's pressure with a two-save shutout.
The semifinals at CSUN's Matador Soccer Field brought more late-match drama. No. 2 seed Cal Poly defeated Cal State Fullerton 1-0 behind Jessie Halladay's penalty kick in the 75th minute and Shannon Porubski's clean sheet with three saves. UCSB then battled top-seeded and regular-season
In the Championship Final, Halladay struck again with the game-winner just 115 seconds from full time, lifting Cal Poly past Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara, 1-0. Halladay earned Championship MVP honors as the Mustangs claimed their fourth Big West title, first since 2004, and secured the conference's automatic NCAA Championship berth.
2026 NCAA Championship Recap
- Making their first NCAA Championship appearance in 21 years, Cal Poly struck just 49 seconds into their opening-round match against No. 1 national seed Stanford behind Halladay's 10th goal of the season. Cal Poly challenged the Cardinal throughout the night before the Mustangs concluded their historic postseason run with a 3-1 defeat.
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.
The Big West Women's Soccer
The Big West has built a proud women's soccer tradition since conference sponsorship began in 1996. Across three decades of competition, six programs have captured the conference championship while Big West student-athletes have earned nine United Soccer Coaches/NSCAA All-America honors and produced four NWSL Draft selections.
The league's success has also reached the national stage, highlighted by Long Beach State's run to the 2011 NCAA quarterfinals (Elite Eight) and UC Irvine's recent postseason surge. The Anteaters won three consecutive Big West titles from 2021-23 and recorded NCAA Championship victories in each season, defeating national powers UCLA twice and Southern California, and advanced to back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in 2022 and 2023.
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