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What 2 Watch 4
- September is here...and unbeaten starts headline another exciting week of Big West women’s soccer!
Long Beach State (4-0-1) hosts Portland on Thursday before visiting GCU on Sunday, looking to build on 450 scoreless minutes. California Baptist (3-0-1) welcomes North Alabama behind four straight shutouts, while Sacramento State (4-0-1) puts its unbeaten record on the line at Fresno State.
Fresh off its ranked win over Kansas, Utah Valley heads to Honolulu to face Washington State and New Mexico State. UC San Diego visits Boise State before hosting North Alabama, while Cal Poly travels to California.
UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Fullerton and CSUN each enjoy two-match homestands. Cal State Bakersfield hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi before visiting San Diego, UC Irvine travels to Southern Utah, and UC Riverside visits LMU before welcoming North Dakota.
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
Chloe's Corner of Highlights
Big West, Big Wins
Utah Valley broke into the win column in statement fashion, rallying past No. 17/14 Kansas 2-1 at UCCU Stadium behind two goals just 1:24 apart.
Midfielder Malia Jessop headed home a cross from Nixan Jackson in the 36th minute before forward Sadie Beardall pressured the Kansas back line and beat the goalkeeper to a loose ball for the game-winner in the 38th. Goalkeeper Madeleine Boucher made four saves, while defender Tess Livingston played all 90 minutes as the Wolverines protected their lead over the final 52 minutes despite a 16-7 Kansas shot advantage. The victory lifted Utah Valley to 1-2-1 on the season.
Wins of The Week
- California Baptist (3-0-1) — The Lancers remained unbeaten with a 2-0 victory over UC Santa Barbara, recording their fourth consecutive shutout to open the season. Defender Taylor Held headed home the opening goal in the 11th minute before forward Bella D’Amico added a first goal as a Lancer in the 66th, with Anja Jestrovic assisting on both scores. Goalkeeper Mikayla O’Brien made three saves as California Baptist held the Gauchos without a shot on goal during the second half. The Lancers host North Alabama on Thursday.
Long Beach State (4-0-1) — The Beach continued their historic start with a 3-0 victory over Weber State, remaining unbeaten through five matches for the first time in program history. Forward Cherrie Cox recorded a brace to reach 29 career goals and tied for fifth in the Long Beach State record book, while Kailey Supa added a goal and an assist. Goalkeeper Amaya Sanles made one save in a first collegiate start as the Beach extended their season-opening shutout streak to 450 minutes. Long Beach State hosts Portland on Thursday before visiting Grand Canyon on Sunday.
Sacramento State (4-0-1) — The Hornets rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat Southern Utah 2-1 and match the best five-match start in program history. Forward Candace Ching scored twice in less than four minutes, producing a first collegiate brace with the equalizer in the 61st minute and the game-winner in the 64th. Sacramento State placed a season-high eight shots on goal while remaining unbeaten through five contests for the first time since 2000. The Hornets visit Fresno State on Thursday.
UC San Diego (3-1-1) — The Tritons controlled the action from start to finish in a 2-0 home victory over Pacific, outshooting the Tigers 28-4 and placing 10 attempts on goal. Alexis Nguyen opened the scoring in the 31st minute before midfielder Lana Gilligan converted a penalty kick in the 69th, while goalkeeper Charlotte Wilfert helped preserve the clean sheet. The victory continued UC San Diego’s best start during its Division I era. The Tritons visit Boise State on Thursday before returning home to host North Alabama on Sunday.
Utah Valley (1-2-1) — The Wolverines earned their first victory of the season by rallying past No. 17 Kansas 2-1 at UCCU Stadium. Midfielder Malia Jessop headed home the equalizer in the 36th minute before forward Sadie Beardall supplied the game-winner just 1:24 later. Goalkeeper Madeleine Boucher made four saves as Utah Valley protected the lead against 16 Kansas shots. The Wolverines head to Honolulu to face Washington State on Thursday and New Mexico State on Sunday.
USCA West Region Rankings (Week 3)
- For the third straight week, six Big West programs earned recognition in the United Soccer Coaches West Region Poll, with the conference sweeping the top three positions.
California Baptist climbed three spots to No. 1 after a shutout win over UC Santa Barbara. Long Beach State and Utah Valley also jumped three places to No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, after the Beach remained unbeaten and the Wolverines knocked off nationally ranked Kansas.
Cal Poly shifted from No. 2 to No. 5, UC Santa Barbara moved from No. 1 to No. 6 and Sacramento State slipped one spot to No. 8 despite maintaining its unbeaten start. The Beach, Gauchos, Hornets, Lancers, Mustangs and Wolverines own a combined 17-4-5 record in the poll.
Weekly Awards
- Sacramento State forward/midfielder Candace Ching struck twice in three minutes to spark a comeback victory and earn Big West Offensive Player of the Week honors for Aug. 31. This is the first Big West weekly award of Ching's career. Ching erased a 1-0 deficit against Southern Utah with the equalizer in the 61st minute, taking a deflection and beating the goalkeeper to the near post. Just three minutes later, the Mililani, Hawai'i, native found the upper-right corner for the eventual game winner in a 2-1 victory. The brace marked the first multi-goal performance of Ching's collegiate career and pushed the junior to a team-leading six points. Ching's three goals this season are already a single-season career high. Sacramento State improved to 4-0-1 with the victory, matching the 2000 Hornets for the best start through five matches in program history.
California Baptist goalkeeper Mikayla O'Brien turned in another clean sheet to collect Big West Defensive Player of the Week honors for Aug. 31. This is the first Big West weekly award of O'Brien's career. O'Brien went the full 90 minutes in CBU's 2-0 victory over UC Santa Barbara, stopping all three shots on goal to preserve the shutout. The Fontana, Calif., native helped limit the Gauchos to three shots on target despite facing 13 total attempts in the contest. The clean sheet was O'Brien's third of the season and 16th overall of the fifth year's career.
Bella D'Amico of California Baptist found the back of the net for the first time of forward's career to secure Big West Rookie of the Week honors for Aug. 31. This is the first Big West weekly award of D'Amico's career. D'Amico doubled CBU's advantage in the 65th minute of a 2-0 victory over UC Santa Barbara, firing home a shot from outside the box for the second goal of the night. The Santa Rosa, Calif., native's strike marked both the first goal and first points of a collegiate career while helping the Lancers secure the shutout victory. D'Amico has now appeared in all five matches for the Lancers
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.
The Big West in the National Rankings
- On Aug. 24, 2026, 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.
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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