OMAHA, Neb. (Aug. 30, 2023) – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer Team will cap off their four-match road trip as they travel to the Midwest. The Gauchos will take on the University of Nebraska at Omaha on Thursday, Aug. 31 followed by a trip to Iowa State on Sunday, Sept. 3.
Both the Gauchos and Mavericks are coming off their first loss of the 2023 season. UC Santa Barbara fell 3-1 to Pacific on Sunday, while Omaha fell 2-1 to Wyoming. This will be the first meeting between the two teams.
On Sunday the Gauchos will travel to Ames, Iowa to take on the Iowa State Cyclones. Most recently, the Cyclones are coming off a 2-1 loss to South Dakota State. Before Sunday's match, they will be taking on No. 16 ranked Memphis on Thursday, Aug. 31.
SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS
The Gauchos will enter the final stretch of their road trip sitting at 1-1-2 overall on the season. UC Santa Barbara has split their games against West Coast Conference opponents so far this season while posting a draw against both Mountain West opponents.
In Sunday's match against Pacific, Manuri Alwis scored her first goal of the season coming on a ball played by sophomore Haley Phillips. The Gauchos had a lot of opportunities early in the match to tack on more than one goal but were unable to convert on their chances.
Sabrina Hinz continues to dominate in net and currently ranks top two in three state categories in The Big West. She ranks second in goals against average (0.667) and leads the conference in save percentage (0.846) and shutouts (2).
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
Omaha comes into the match also at 1-1-2 on the season. The Mavericks opened the season with a victory over Southern Utah before tying with Utah Tech and Missouri. Recently they dropped their first match of the season to Wyoming, 2-1.
Sophia Green has proved to be dangerous on the offensive end for the Mavericks. Green has recorded three goals and two assists over four matches so far and is currently tied for second in the Summit League in goals, points and shots.
Midfielders Grace Ostergaard and Regan Zimmers were named Players to Watch by the Summit League with Zimmers also being named a Player to Watch by the United Soccer Coaches Association. In net, Emma Konsmo leads the Summit League with 20 saves over four starts.
SCOUTING THE CYCLONES
Before the Gauchos take on Iowa State on Sunday, Sept. 3, the Cyclones will host 16th-ranked Memphis on Thursday, Aug. 31. Iowa State looks to steady the ship after a rough week on the road where they were unable to muster enough offensive support.
Four different Cyclones have goals to their names on the season, with Abigail Miller being the lone Cyclone to have at least two scores. Also, on the offensive end, Mira Emma recorded her 11th career assist in Iowa State's season opener moving her into the ISU top 10 all-time in the category. The Cyclones are 2-0 when scoring two or more goals and 0-2 when scoring one or fewer.
After the program lost Jordan Silkowitz to the NWSL draft, a new face took the net for ISU, as Avery Gillahan has handled goalkeeping responsibilities. Gillahan was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week on Aug. 23 for her performances during the first week of the season.
FOLLOW ALONG
The Gauchos and Mavericks will kick off in Omaha, Neb. at Caniglia Field at 3 p.m. PT/5 p.m. CT on Thursday, Aug. 31. For those unable to make the trip or attend in person the game will be streamed through the Summit League Network with live stats available through omavs.com.
Sunday's match against Iowa State will kick off at 11 a.m. PT/1 p.m. CT in Ames, Iowa at the Cyclone Sports Complex. The game will be streamed through ESPN+ with live stats available through cyclones.com.
