SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer team is set to open Big West play this week as they host Cal Poly on Thursday night. Following their match against the Mustangs, the Gauchos will host Weber State on Sunday for their final non-conference game of the season.
ABOUT LAST WEEK
The Gauchos continued their strong non-conference slate by defeating New Mexico and Sacramento State last week. UC Santa Barbara outscored their opponents 2-0 while handing the Lobos their first loss of the season. With her efforts on the backline in helping with two shutouts, coupled with a goal and an assist on the week,
Emily Caughey was named The Big West Defensive Player of the Week.
A TOUCH OF GOLD
Thursday's game will be the Gauchos' annual Pediatric Cancer Awareness Night. The team will wear gold warm-up shirts, the signifying color of Pediatric Cancer. Along with other accessories during the match.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
Cal Poly comes into Thursday's match unbeaten after their non-conference slate of games. The Mustangs are 2-0-7 so far under first-year head coach Bernardo Silva. Among common opponents, the Green and Gold are 1-0-2.
Offensively, the Mustangs have scored 16 goals, tying the Gauchos for the most in The Big West currently. Cal Poly is led by Preseason All-Big West selection Jessie Halladay, who has scored five goals and assisted on two others through seven games played. Four other student-athletes have scored multiple goals, and in total, the Mustangs have seven different goal scorers.
Defensively, the Mustangs have been rotating two keepers in net. Shannon Porubski has recently stepped in being the primary goalkeeper over the last four matches. Over that stretch, she has earned two wins and two ties while the team has outscored its opposition 7-4. She currently leads the goalkeepers with a 1.00 goals against average and a 0.750 save percentage with two clean sheets. As a unit, the Mustangs are allowing just under two goals per contest, 1.78.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Before Sunday's contest, Weber State will make a quick stop in Riverside to take on California Baptist on Thursday night. The Wildcats are currently 4-4-0 overall, including 1-0 against Big West opponents, defeating Cal State Bakersfield about a month ago.
The Wildcats have scored 14 goals over their first eight games, including a season high of three against Utah Valley on Monday night. Six Wildcats have scored multiple goals this season and two others have found the back of the net once. Four student-athletes are tied in points with five apiece, each recording two goals and one assist.
Defensively, Weber State will likely start Lauren Butorac in net. The freshman has started five of eight games, allowing eight goals with 28 saves and one clean sheet for a 1.45 goals against average.
FOLLOW ALONG
UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly will kick off at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18. The Gauchos and Wildcats will kick off at 12 p.m. (noon) on Sunday, Sept. 21. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com/WSOCLiveStats.
