SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer team returns to the friendly confines of Harder Stadium this week to host North Dakota on Thursday, September 3, and North Dakota State on Sunday, September 6. The Gauchos are coming off a 0-1-1 road swing in which they lost to California Baptist and drew with UC Davis.
PROMOTIONS
During the Thursday night game, the Gauchos will give out schedule posters and magnets to fans who attend. On Sunday, the Gauchos will be giving away a senior group autograph card in recognition of Senior Day. The Gauchos will honor their nine seniors prior to the contest and the senior group will sign the cards after the match.
The UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer team will have fun for everyone all season long. There will be promotions, giveaways and much more throughout the season. Be sure to check out ucsbgauchos.com/WSOC_Themes for all the gameday information.
TICKETS
Season and single-game tickets are on sale for UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer. The Gauchos are currently 3-1-1 on the season and are about to get into the thick of their schedule. This season, fans will be able to watch them fight their way to The Big West Championship starting at $99 at general admission seating.
JUNIOR GAUCHOS
Junior Gauchos is an exclusive membership-only club for kids 12 and younger designed to connect youth to the college experience at an early age through UC Santa Barbara game day and exclusive experiences. The club provides opportunities for the youth to become a Gaucho fan at a young age while making the connection to UC Santa Barbara student-athletes as role models.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos closed their road swing with a 1-1 draw against former conference foe UC Davis on Sunday night. The Blue and Gold struck just 43 seconds into the match after
Chayse Yu capitalized on an Aggie turnover and sent a cross to the back post, where
Delilah Vega-Aguilar headed in her first goal as a Gaucho.
UC Davis answered in the 22nd minute to send the teams into halftime even. The Aggies applied pressure throughout the second half, but
Maddie Buckley and the Santa Barbara defense kept them off the board to secure the draw and move the Gauchos to 3-1-1 on the season.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING HAWKS
North Dakota enters Thursday's match with a 2-2 record after earning consecutive home victories. The Fighting Hawks defeated Presbyterian 2-1 before scoring three times in the opening 15 minutes of a 4-1 win over Prairie View A&M on Sunday. Charlie Basinet provided three assists in the victory, tying the program's single-match record, while four different players found the back of the net. Hunter Borgel leads North Dakota with two goals this season.
Thursday will mark the second meeting between the programs. UC Santa Barbara claimed the inaugural matchup 2-1 in Grand Forks last season, outshooting North Dakota 27-3. The Fighting Hawks are in their second season under head coach Henrik Sohn and return All-Summit League selections Cora Ellermann and Basinet.
SCOUTING THE BISON
North Dakota State holds a 1-3-2 record and is unbeaten across its last three matches. After battling Washington State to a scoreless draw, the Bison earned their first victory of the season with a 3-1 result over Prairie View A&M before playing Presbyterian to yet another scoreless draw on Sunday. During that stretch, NDSU has outshot their opponents 45-21 and holds a 24-6 advantage in corner kicks.
NDSU has scored four goals while conceding eight through six matches. Morgan Russmann leads the attack with two goals, while Ava Stanchina has contributed a team-high two assists. Goalkeeper Payton Mulberry has recorded two shutouts in the last three matches, bringing her career total to nine. Sunday will be the second meeting between the programs after the Gauchos earned a 3-0 victory last season.
FOLLOW ALONG
Thursday's match against North Dakota will kick off at 7 p.m., while the Gauchos match against North Dakota State will kick off at noon. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com/WSOCLiveStats.
