SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - After their shutout win at home on Sunday, the UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer team travels north to face rival Cal Poly on Thursday in the first Big West match of the season. 
 
LAST TIME OUT
After falling 1-0 to Omaha on Thursday, the Gauchos bounced back with a stellar performance on Sunday at Harder Stadium pitching the season's sixth shutout and securing a 3-0 win. Freshman Ava Jarolimek found the back of the net for the first goal of her collegiate career while Olivia Howard found her first goal of the season off a header to become the game-winner. Jessica Carlton also showed out with a final goal to secure the win. 
 
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
The Mustangs come into this week 1-5-2 after a visit to Texas and falling to TCU. They have seen one win in their last four matches and have yet to find a win at home. Cal Poly's most recent win came from a matchup with the Pacific Tigers, like Santa Barbara. 
 
2022 Big West Goalkeeper of the Year Mackenzie Samuel has split the recent games with redshirt sophomore Riley Wilkerson. Samuel had 8 saves in her recent appearance against Santa Clara, half of her season total, while Wilkerson saw 10 saves in the matchup against TCU on Sunday. With two experienced goalkeepers and 2023 Big West Defensive Player of the Year Emma Brown, the Gauchos must be cautious while on the attack Thursday. 
 
This will be the first conference matchup for both teams this season, and it certainly holds history. Santa Barbara's record against Cal Poly stands at 8-17-8 with the last win being 2015. The Gauchos will bring new weapons that Cal Poly has yet to meet in this rivalry with freshmen Devin Greer, Chayse Yu and Isabella Ong. Both teams will look to secure the 1-0-0 conference record as they head into the back half of the season. 
 
FOLLOW ALONG 
The Gauchos will kick off against the Mustangs at Spanos Stadium at 7 p.m. on Thursday with streaming available on ESPN+.