SANTA BARBARA, Calif.- The UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer team is set to host a first round match of The Big West Championships against Cal State Fullerton. A resulting draw between Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State Fullerton solidified the Gauchos' No. 3 seeding in the conference.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos are recovering from a tough loss after battling on the field with Hawai'i this past Sunday. The initial goal from Olivia Howard and onslaught of pressure by the Blue and Gold held off the Wahine for the first 45 minutes, until they fell behind in the second half 2-1. Fighting to the end of the 90 minutes, Santa Barbara was unable to equalize to one goal deficit.
 
SCOUTING THE TITANS
Cal State Fullerton enters the match with a 4-3-3 record within the conference (6-9-4 overall). Their most recent game against CSU Bakersfield was held to a tight draw at one goal each and ultimately clinched a Big West Conference Championship spot for the Titans. Their offense outshot Bakersfield 19-8 alongside Isabella Cruz's fourth goal of the season, which put the Titans ahead in the 23rd minute. 
 
Over two weeks ago, when the Gauchos faced the Titans, the match ended in a deadlock with neither team scoring. The Blue and Gold will have to maintain a tight defense against Fullerton's offense that is led by sophomore Kayee Noble who finished the regular season with six goals.
 
Fullerton's defense also poses a threat to Santa Barbara with goalkeeper Mia Ranson, as she is currently ranked 15th in NCAA in total saves. She leads the conference in save percentage (0.821) and ranks top four in saves per game (4.84), shutouts (5), and total saves (92).
 
FOLLOW ALONG 
This first round match will be held at Harder Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 12 p.m. Those unable to make it to the match can tune in on ESPN+ with live stats also available at ucsbgauchos.com.