SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer team will host CSUN and UC Riverside for two games this week, marking their final regular-season homestand.
ABOUT LAST WEEK
The Gauchos are returning to Harder Stadium after two games away, netting a loss to UC Irvine and tie with Long Beach State. The team's first conference game loss did not come without a fight against UCI's fortified defense, with three shots on goal from Reese Wroblewski, Isabella Ong, and Evelyn Arsenault. The draw against the Beach embodied the Gaucho's defensive grit with Maddie Buckley preventing seven shots on goal.
SCOUTING THE MATADORS
CSUN comes into the week leading the Big West standings with a 5-0-2 conference record and 17 points with three matches remaining. Last week, CSUN set a school record in consecutive shutouts in a 1-0 win over UC Davis.
CSUN senior goalkeeper Riley Liebsack earned her third Big West Defensive Player of the Week award of the season, the conference office announced on Monday. Liebsack's third weekly conference honor ties the Matador record for a single season in team history.
Senior Caily Jackson markedly leads the Matadors with five goals, two assists, and 12 points on the season. Yasmin Azar trails behind after scoring the game-winner against UC Davis and earning her third goal of the season.
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside holds a 0-13-2 overall record and a 0-6-1 record in the Big West. Last week, the Highlanders left their Senior Night with a 3-0 loss to Cal State Bakersfield. They hit the road this week with a match against Cal Poly before landing at Harder Stadium.
Spenser Gonzales leads the Highlanders with two goals on the season over her 15 games played. She is followed by Mia DiLeo and Sarah Mahfoud, each with one goal under their belts.
Trinity Hale has defended the net with 45 saves this season. She shares the goal with Alisa Perez, who has accumulated 15 saves over her five games played during her campaign.
FOLLOW ALONG
UC Santa Barbara will host CSUN on Thursday, Oct. 23 for Breast Cancer Awareness Night as the Gauchos and Matadors kick off at 7 p.m. On Sunday, the Gauchos will celebrate Senior Day and Frontline Workers Night as they welcome UC Riverside for a noon kick off. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats also available through ucsbgauchos.com/WSOCLiveStats.
