SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer team hits the road for the first time this season with a pair of non-conference contests. The Gauchos will visit California Baptist on Thursday, Aug. 27, before heading north to face UC Davis on Sunday, Aug. 30. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Santa Barbara completed an unbeaten season-opening homestand with a 4-0 victory over Fresno State on Sunday. The Gauchos struck four times within the opening 18 minutes, beginning with Ava Jarolimek's first goal of the season off assists from Sophia Moness and Chayse Yu.
Isabella Ong tacked on another goal less than five minutes later before Caitlyn Simons found the back of the net in the 15th minute. Emily Caughey capped the scoring with a free-kick goal at the 17:49 mark.
The Gauchos outshot the Bulldogs 20-7 and limited them to four shots on goal, completing a perfect homestand in which they outscored their three opponents 6-0. The victory extended Santa Barbara's home-winning streak to eight matches and earned the Gauchos recognition in the Week Two Intercollegiate Women's Soccer Organization (IWSOC) Division I Coaches Polls in partnership with United Soccer Coaches. The Blue and Gold received one vote in the national top 25 poll and claimed the No. 1 spot in the West Region.
SCOUTING THE LANCERS
California Baptist enters Thursday's match with a 2-0-1 record and has yet to concede a goal this season. The Lancers opened their 2026 campaign with a scoreless draw at Cal before earning victories at home over Portland State and UNLV. Goalkeeper Mikayla O'Brien has anchored the defense through three consecutive shutouts.
The Lancers return an experienced core from a team that won back-to-back WAC Tournament championships before joining The Big West this season. Graduate goalkeeper Mikayla O'Brien and senior forward Anja Jestrovic were both named to the Preseason All-Big West Team. O'Brien earned WAC Goalkeeper of the Year honors after recording 88 saves last season, while Jestrovic finished with eight goals and a team-high eight assists.
Thursday will mark the second meeting between the programs. Santa Barbara won the inaugural matchup, 2-0, last season behind goals from Sophia Moness and Olivia Howard.
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
UC Davis holds a 1-2-0 record ahead of a Thursday's match at Sant Clara. The Aggies opened the season with a 2-0 road victory over Fresno State before suffering consecutive shutout losses to Sacramento State and Saint Mary's.
The Aggies feature 13 newcomers on their 28-player roster, including six transfers, under second-year head coach Kat Mertz. Purdue transfer Dina Frenkel has started each of the first three matches in goal, recording 11 saves and a shutout. Fellow newcomers Jaycee DeFazio and Ashley Brewer connected for the Aggies' opening goal of the season, with Brewer assisting DeFazio against Fresno State. Kiley Fehrenbacher added her first career goal later in the victory.
UC Santa Barbara leads the all-time series, 15-9-2. The programs played to a 1-1 draw in Davis last season, while the Gauchos hold a 9-5-2 record in road meetings with the Aggies.
FOLLOW ALONG
Thursday's match at California Baptist will be broadcast on ESPN+, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. at CBU Soccer Stadium. Sunday's contest against UC Davis will begin at 7 p.m. at Aggie Soccer Field and will be stremed on Mountain West+. Live stats for both matches will be available through ucsbgauchos.com/WSOCLiveStats.
