RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer team wrapped up the 2026 regular season with a 2-2 draw with UC Riverside on Saturday afternoon. UC Santa Barbara led 18-8 in shots and put eight attempts on goal, while UCR finished with seven. The Gauchos scored twice in the first half, and the Highlanders scored once in each half to leave the match even.
Chayse Yu put UC Santa Barbara back in front in the 43rd minute, scoring to send the Gauchos into halftime ahead 2-1. Earlier, UC Santa Barbara started quickly, getting shots saved from
Sophia Moness and
Caitlyn Simons around an early corner before
Stella Etcheverry scored in the eighth minute off Moness' assist for a 1-0 lead. UCR answered in the 22
nd minute, but
Maddie Buckley had already made three first-half saves to help UC Santa Barbara absorb pressure around that stretch. After the equalizer, UC Santa Barbara generated sustained chances, including shots from Simons, Yu,
Hailey Tyacke,
Emily Caughey and
Delilah Vega-Aguilar, with Caughey hitting the woodwork before Yu's late goal restored the advantage.
UC Santa Barbara's second-half lead was erased in the 75th minute, when UCR scored to make it 2-2. Earlier, UC Santa Barbara opened the half with
Regan Stiner's shot saved by Highlander keeper at 45:09, then put together a nine-minute stretch that included two corner kicks, another Stiner effort saved and
Ava Jarolimek's shot over the bar while leading 2-1. After the equalizer, UC Santa Barbara pushed again with
Hayden Halscheid's shot at 77:52 and late corners in the 82nd and 86th minutes, with
Devin Greer sending a shot over the bar at 86:20. Buckley added two clutch second-half saves on, and the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
IN CONCLUSION
With the draw, the Gauchos did not qualify for The Big West Championships and thus their 2026 season has concluded. The Gauchos end the season with an 8-5-7 overall record and a 3-4-4 record in Big West action.
