IRVINE, Calif. – For the first time in her career Emily Caughey has been named Defensive Player of the Week by The Big West. Caughey has continued to be a mainstay on the Gauchos backline and this week came up big scoring one goal and assisting one another.
 
The junior has started 32 consecutive matches as a defender for UC Santa Barbara. This week, Caughey assisted on the Gauchos second goal against New Mexico this past week en route to handing the Lobos their first loss of the season. In Sunday's contest against Sacramento State, the Woodland Hills native scored her first goal of the 2025 season in the 74^th minute to extend the Gauchos winning streak to six games and their unbeaten streak up to eight.
 
Caughey and the Gauchos open Big West competition this Thursday, September 18 as they host Cal Poly for the Blue-Green Rivalry. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. For those unable to attend in person the contest will be streamed through ESPN+ with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com/WSOCLiveStats.