FULLERTON, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara Men's Soccer team is set to open Big West play this week, with their first match sending them south to take on Cal State Fullerton. The Gauchos are looking to turn their good performances into better results after three consecutive draws. Titan Stadium will play host to the Gauchos when they face the Titans on Wednesday evening, with Santa Barbara then getting to return home to host UC Riverside at Harder Stadium on Saturday night.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos played a close Blue-Green Rivalry match in their last game, headlined by excellent goalkeeping. A crowd of 7,500 eager fans witnessed Owen Beninga's stellar performance, one which earned him his second shutout and a 0-0 draw for the Gauchos against the Mustangs. Beninga was named Big West Freshman of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week on Monday for his exploits.
 
SCOUTING THE TITANS
Cal State Fullerton is coming off of a 1-0 loss at San Diego State, their third defeat of the season (though the first came on the road against a good Oregon State team, 4-2). However, the Gauchos need to stay on their toes given that the Titans can match these three losses with three wins, two of them coming on the road at Tulsa and Utah Tech.
 
In terms of players to watch, Jose de la Torre was on the ball last game, especially in attack. The sophomore finished the match with a whopping 12 shots, four of which were on target.
 
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside will open their Big West campaign at home against CSUN on Wednesday before visiting the Gauchos. Following the Highlanders' 3-2 loss to Northwestern and a draw with cross-town rivals California Baptist, they will be seeking redemption.
 
Players of note include Edward Castro and Eric Martinez. The two linked up in their last game, Martinez playing a precise pass to Castro to put the Highlanders up, 1-0, over their rival Lancers. For Castro, it was his third goal of the season.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
The Gauchos and Titans will kick off from Titan Stadium in Fullerton at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Kickoff between the Gauchos and Highlanders is also set for 7 p.m. in their Saturday matchup at Harder Stadium. Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+ with live stats available at ucsbgauchos.com/MSOC_Stats. Fans can purchase tickets for Saturday's match now at ucsbgauchos.com/tickets, and all UC Santa Barbara students get into every home match free with their valid student ID.