2026 Big West Men's Soccer Schedule | Standings | Stats | Week 6 Notes

What 2 Watch 4
Only four teams are in action before conference play starts next week.

No collegiate soccer match is bigger than “The Greatest Rivalry in College Soccer,” as UC Santa Barbara visits Cal Poly on Friday in the first of two annual meetings. The two teams will face each other once again in Santa Barbara on Oct. 10. The Gaucho-Mustang matchup on the pitch is responsible for five of the top 10, and 17 of the top 25, largest regular-season crowds in NCAA men’s soccer history.

The action starts on Wednesday with UC Riverside visitng Sacramento State. Cal State Fullerton will head south for two road matches against UC San Diego on Wednesday and San Diego State on Saturday. UC Irvine welcomes California Baptist to Anteater Stadium on Thursday.

A total of four 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

Poll Position
Utah Valley is rated No. 24 and UC Santa Barbara is receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches National Rankings on Sept. 22.

Four Big West teams are featured in the latest United Soccer Coaches Far West Region Rankings. Utah Valley has the top spot, followed by UC Santa Barbara at No. 3. UC Irvine is slotted at No. 5 and Cal State Bakersfield is ranked No. 8.

United Soccer Coaches Rankings

Around the League
After four weeks into the season, No. 25 Utah Valley (4-0-2) is the only team without a loss. UC Santa Barbara (4-2-2), Cal State Bakersfield (3-2-2) and UC Irvine (4-3-1) are also above the .500 threshold.

The Wolverines have yet to taste a loss and own the best goals-against average in the league, 15th in the nation, at .667, while switching between two goalkeepers in Kolby Sessions and Jackson Medina. Forward Nil Grau and midfielder Jose Luis Martin Montealegre are the offensive leaders for the Wolverines with two goals apiece. Martin Montealegre, defender Owen Knecht and defender Noah Pogue have amassed two assists each.

The Gauchos’ defense, helmed by goalkeeper Owen Beninga, sports a goals-against average of 1.00 and has compiled three shutouts this season. Midfielder Steinar Bjornsson has registered four goals, part of a three-way tie for most in the league. Defender Peleg Brown tops the team in assists with four, part of a two-way stalemate for the top spot in the conference.

Roadrunner forward Oshea Foster has a league co-best four goals on the season. Goalkeeper Zenden Hart has a goals-against average of 0.86.

The Anteaters average 1.83 goals per game, the best mark in the conference. The Anteaters take 7.25 corner kicks per game, the best rate in the league and 13th in the nation. Forward Gage Lyons is the team leader in goals with three. Defender Brady Treinen and forward Marcus Lee are tied for the team lead in assists with three. Goalkeeper Scott Williams has three shutouts.

CSUN has the second-most potent offense in The Big West, averaging 1.6 goals per game. Forward Kayvon Monafred has three goals, while defender Messiah Antwi and midfielder Jorge Solorzano have three assist on the year.

Sacramento State forward Zac Giles tops The Big est in shots (33), shots on goal (17), assists (4) and is fourth in goals (3). Goalkeeper Lucas Borst tops the conference in total saves (26) and saves per game (3.71).

Cal State Fullerton’s Fernando Valenzuela is the league co-leader in goals with four on the season.

A New Look Big West
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 automatic 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.

Preseason Prognostications
Men’s soccer perennial contender UC Santa Barbara is favored to win The Big West in 2026, according to a poll of the league’s seven head coaches.

The Gauchos (7-5-8, 4-0-5 BW) earned four first-place votes for a total of 34 points. Last season, UC Santa Barbara finished in a three-way tie for first in the regular season and advanced to The Big West Championship final.

The coaches also voted on an 11-person Preseason All-Big West Team, and three Gauchos were featured on it in senior defender Calle Mollerberg, senior forward Donovan Sessoms and senior midfielder Kaden Standish. Mollerberg, a two-time All-Big West honoree, was last season’s Big West Defensive Player of the Year after guiding the Gaucho defense to a 1.00 goals-against average. Sessoms transferred to UC Santa Barbara from Sacramento State and was a two-time All-Big West selection compiling 12 goals and three assists in two seasons as a Hornet. Standish was an All-Big West First Team member in 2025, tallying three goals and three assists on the year.

Defending champion UC Irvine (11-4-6, 4-0-5 BW) was picked to finish second, claiming two first-place votes for 32 points. The Anteaters were one of three Big West regular-season tri-champions and took home the conference crown with a 2-1 win in the 2025 Big West Championship title match. UCI took two slots on the preseason team in senior midfielder Isaac Powell and senior defender Brady Treinen. Powell amassed one goal and four assists en route to an All-Big West Honorable Mention and All-Far West Second Team honors in 2025. Treinen, a two-time All-Big West member, was a stalwart of the UCI defense that allowed a 0.86 goals-against average, while also producing two assists on offense last year.

Big West newcomer Utah Valley (8-4-3, 2-3-2 WAC) came in third in the poll with 24 points and had a preseason squad selection in senior defender Toke Amtrup. As a defender, Amtrup scored two goals and played a full 90 minutes nine times for a side that sported a 1.13 goals-against average last season.

Cal State Fullerton (8-6-6, 5-3-1 BW) received the remaining first-place vote for 23 points to come in fourth in the poll. The Titans occupied two slots on the preseason team with junior midfielder Jose de la Torre and senior midfielder Fernando Valenzuela. In 2025, de la Torre compiled four goals and a conference-leading seven assists to earn All-Big West First Team and Defensive Player of the Year honors. Valenzuela tallied four goals and two assists for a spot on the All-Big West Honorable Mention last year.

CSUN (17), Cal State Bakersfield (11) and Sacramento State (6) round out the rest of the poll.

CSUN senior goalkeeper Dorian Drucks earned a spot on the preseason squad. In 2025, Drucks led the conference with 74 saves and was tied for second in shutouts with eight.

The Cal State Bakersfield duo of senior defender Filip Arras and fifth-year goalkeeper Zenden Hart fill out the preseason team. Arras recorded one goal and four assists, while Hart handed out two shutouts and stopped 57 shots in goal for the Roadrunners last season.

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®.