IRVINE, Calif. (Sept. 20, 2023) – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer team is set for their second week of Big West action. This weekend the Gauchos will take on UC Irvine on Thursday, Sept. 21, and Long Beach State on Sunday, Sept. 24.
LAST TIME OUT
Last week UC Santa Barbara went 0-1-1. The Gauchos started the weekend off with a 3-1 loss to Cal Poly before tying with the NCAA Team of the Week, Saint Mary's.
UC Irvine played a single match last week against Long Beach where the two teams tied 1-1 to open up their Big West action. LBSU played Northern Colorado on Sunday following the UC Irvine match and garnered a 5-1 victory.
SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS
The Gauchos come into the match 2-3-5 overall and 0-1 in Big West play. UC Santa Barbara continues to impress on defense and in the midfield. Head Coach Paul Stumpf has been pleased with those two-thirds of areas of the field so far this season. The Gauchos continue to work and improve on the offensive side and inside the final third of the field to create more chances and find the back of the net more often.
Olivia Howard scored the lone goal last week for UC Santa Barbara bringing her season total to two, currently ranking second on the team in that stat category. She also has one assist to total five points so far this season. In front of her in the goal category is Lauren Helwig who has found the back of the net four times.
On the backline for the Gauchos Shaye Douglas and Brenna Madruga continue to play excellent soccer. The two center-backs have helped the Gauchos limit opponents to just 1.10 goals against average. Three goalkeepers have seen action this season combining for a .776 save percentage. Maddie Buckley made her first career start against Saint Mary's and posted a shutout with five saves in the 0-0 draw.
SCOUTING THE ANTEATERS
UC Irvine comes into the match with a 3-4-2 overall record and opened up Big West action last week with a 1-1 draw to Long Beach State. Leading the Anteaters is Preseason All-Big West selection Alyssa Moore. Moore currently leads the team with four goals and 10 points.
The 'Eaters played a tough non-conference schedule with two top-12 opponents on their slate. After opening the season with a win against Saint Mary's UC Irvine lost to then No. 11 Stanford. After another win, UCI played then top-ranked UCLA and lost 4-0. They also played Pac-12 member Oregon State in Corvallis.
Glo Hinojosa a Preseason All-Big West selection ranks highly in many stat categories in The Big West. The keeper ranks top 10 in goals against average, saves and saves per game. She posts a .674 save percentage and is currently 3-4-2 in net.
SCOUTING THE BEACH
Long Beach State comes into the match with the most wins of any Big West team in the 2023 season so far. The Beach holds a 5-3-2 record and are 0-0-1 in Big West play having tied with UC Irvine.
Long Beach State has five players that have scored multiple goals on the season. Leading the way is Elysia Laramie who has seven goals, five assists and 19 points. She ranks first in all three categories in The Big West. Just behind Laramie in just about every category is Cherrie Cox who has five goals, four assists and 14 points on the season.
Like the Gauchos, Long Beach State has started three faces in goal, but Zora Standifer has seen the most action. Standifer posts a 4-2-1 record, 0.822 save percentage and a 1.04 goals-against average.
FOLLOW ALONG
Thursday night's match against UC Irvine will be streamed through ESPN+ with live stats available through ucirvinesports.com.
Sunday's match against Long Beach State will also be streamed through ESPN+ with live stats available through longbeachstate.com.
