SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The postseason stories of UC Santa Barbara and UC Riverside Men's Soccer will intertwine again on Wednesday night, as the Gauchos and Highlanders will meet in a second consecutive conference tournament. Santa Barbara and UCR met in the final of last year's Big West Championship in Riverside. This year, it is the Gauchos' turn to host as they will look to return the favor and end the Highlanders' season. The winner will advance to face No. 2 seed UC Irvine in The Big West Semifinals on Saturday.
 
WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH
Wednesday night's match will kick off at 7 p.m. from Harder Stadium. Tickets are available for purchase at ucsbgauchos.com. UC Santa Barbara students and students from any Big West member institution receive free admission with their campus ID.
 
For fans following from afar, the match will be live on ESPN+ with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Santa Barbara ended up as the No. 3 seed in this year's Big West Championship after a frustrating 2-0 defeat to Cal State Fullerton on the road in their last match.
 
When the Gauchos and Highlanders last met on October 7, UC Santa Barbara came out on top, 2-1, at Harder Stadium thanks to a brace from Salvador Aguilar.
 
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAUCHOS (9-7-2, 4-3-2 Big West)
Since their regular season matchup against UC Riverside, the Gauchos have two wins, two losses and a draw to their name, but their last win was October 18 against Sacramento State, UC Santa Barbara's final home match of the season.
 
The Gauchos have been strong at home, going 7-2-1 at Harder Stadium this year. In those 10 home contests, UC Santa Barbara has scored 21 goals and conceded 13, for a plus-eight goal differential, compared to a negative 11 goal differential on the road (seven scored, 18 conceded).
 
When it comes to scoring, the Gauchos can get goals from anywhere, with a conference-best eight players having scored two or more goals this season. In total, 11 different Santa Barbara players have found the back of the net this season, also a conference high. Lucas Gonzalez leads the team with five goals, as well as a team-high five assists. He returned from an ankle injury against Cal Poly and scored in each of his first three games back to earn The Big West Offensive Player of the Week award.
 
At the back, goalkeeper Leroy Zeller is set for one final postseason run anchoring the Gaucho defensive line. The senior from Germany recently recorded both his 20^th career shutout and 200^th career save, ranking sixth in UC Santa Barbara history for both stats.
 
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS (3-9-5, 3-3-3 Big West)
After their regular-season defeat to the Gauchos, UC Riverside made a dramatic late-season run, sneaking into the postseason as the sixth and final seed. The Highlanders earned a big road win at UC Davis, 3-0, then a 1-1 draw at top-seeded Cal State Fullerton with an 87^th-minute goal. Against Cal State Bakersfield, UCR produced even more late drama, scoring in the 79^th minute and then again with eight seconds left on the clock to earn a 2-1. A 0-0 draw against CSUN in their last match was enough to get the Highlanders into The Big West Championship.
 
Diogo Baptista played a starring role in both of those two wins, scoring twice at UC Davis and providing the equalizer against Cal State Bakersfield. The sophomore midfielder's three goals are tied for most on the team, alongside junior forward Noah Lopez. Lopez provided the assist on the Highlanders' goal in their regular season matchup with the Gauchos.
 
In goal, the Highlanders have a talented veteran of their own in Carlos Gonzalez, who shared The Big West Goalkeeper of the Year honors with UC Santa Barbara's Zeller in 2022. Gonzalez has 14 shutouts in his career and also joined the 200 save club earlier this season.