SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- The UC Santa Barbara Women's soccer team returns to the field this week for two home games against UC Irvine and UC San Diego. With an overall record of 7-2-5, the Gauchos are currently fourth in the standings with a total of eight points, only three points out of first place in the standings.
 
PROMOTIONS
Wednesday's contest will feature AYSO teams showing off their pride during the halftime AYSO Banner Parade. Sign your team up here to participate in the halftime festivities.
 
Saturday's game will be Pride Night and will represent the LGBTQ+ community in the Santa Barbara area. Fans will receive a pride-themed stress ball as a giveaway.
 
ABOUT LAST WEEK
The Gauchos are coming off a 5-0 loss to Cal State Fullerton that ended their nine-match unbeaten streak. The last time the Gauchos allowed five goals was during the 2024 NCAA Tournament in a 5-0 loss to Stanford. Now back at home, the Gauchos look to extend their home unbeaten streak of 11 matches that dates back to last year.
 
SCOUTING THE ANTEATERS
UC Irvine comes into this game with an overall record of 4-5-3 and seven points in conference play, slotting them in seventh place. The Anteaters are coming off of a 4-2 loss to CSUN last Saturday.
 
The Anteaters have not fared well at Harder Stadium over the years, posting a 4-15-2 record in Santa Barbara. UC Irvine's last win at Harder Stadium came on Oct. 1, 2017, more than nine years ago. Fiona Shin leads the attack for the Anteaters with five goals, two assists, and 12 points. Irvine only has seven different goal scorers on the season, with Shin accounting for nearly 33 percent of the goals.
 
Savanna Arruda has held down the net for the majority of the season, posting 37 saves a 3-5-3 record and two clean sheets. In 12 matches, she has allowed 23 goals.
 
SCOUTING THE TRITONS
UCSD currently has a record of 6-3-4 and is tied with the Gauchos at eight points in the standings. The Tritons are coming off a 2-0 win over UC Riverside last Saturday night. UC San Diego has been playing some solid soccer as of recently, posting a 3-1-3 record over their last seven matches.
 
Like the Gauchos, UC San Diego has a long list of goal scorers. Having put 15 in the back of the net so far this season, they have produced 11 different goal scorers. Lana Gilligan and Olivia Shih lead the team with two goals, one assist and five points.
 
The strength for the Tritons is goalkeeping. Charlotte Wilfert has played all but nine minutes and 49 seconds in the cage, allowing just nine goals, good for a 0.70 goals-against average. She has recorded 53 saves, a 6-3-4 record and six clean sheets.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
The Gauchos host UC Irvine on Wednesday, October 14, at 6pm and then host UC San Diego on Saturday, October 17, at 7pm. Both games will be played at Harder Stadium and you are able to stream them on ESPN+ with live stats available.