SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Soccer team carries an unbeaten September into its final match of the month against Cal State Bakersfield on Wednesday. The Gauchos then open October on Saturday with a road contest against California Baptist, the only team to defeat them this season.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos head to Bakersfield following a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Sacramento State on Saturday.
Emily Caughey provided the difference from the penalty spot, converting the match's lone goal to secure all three points for UC Santa Barbara.
The win extended the Gauchos' unbeaten streak to seven matches and kept their strong start to Big West play intact. UC Santa Barbara enters the week carrying momentum into a pair of road contests as it looks to continue its unbeaten run.
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
The Roadrunners have struggled to find their stride, with a dwindling 1-9-1 record and are winless in the last six matches. The Roadrunners have scored just five goals through 11 matches, and have been outscored by their opponents 25-5. Bakersfield's lone victory came against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Aug. 28, while its most recent result was a 2-0 loss to UC Irvine. The Roadrunners have been held scoreless in eight of their 11 matches and are averaging less than 0.5 goal per game.
CJ Walters leads the team with two goals, while Jaiden Gore has been one of Bakersfield's most active attacking threats, leading the squad with 25 shots and 10 shots on goal. Defensively, goalkeeper Addyson Evens has faced a heavy workload, recording 65 saves and a .783 save percentage on the season. As a team, the Roadrunners average 9.2 shots per match while allowing 19.0 shots per game.
SCOUTING THE LANCERS
The Lancers have looked fierce to date, boasting a 6-1-1 record with their lone loss coming last week against Pepperdine. California Baptist are also a perfect 5-0-0 on their home field and have outscored opponents 12-2 while recording six shutouts this season. CBU entered the season following back-to-back WAC Tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances and has carried that momentum into its first season in the Big West.
UC Santa Barbara visited California Baptist in August, and the Lancers handed the Gauchos their only loss of the season in a 2-0 result. Anja Jestrovic has paced the Lancers' attack with three goals and four assists this season, leading the team in both assists and points. CBU has also received strong contributions from its freshmen, with Bella D'Amico and Maya Yoshimura each earning Big West Rookie of the Week honors this season.
Defensively, goalkeeper Mikayla O'Brien anchors one of the conference's stingiest back lines after earning 2025 WAC Goalkeeper of the Year honors and two Big West Defensive Player of the Week awards this season. O'Brien ranks fifth nationally in save percentage and 10th in goals-against average while posting a 0.34 goals-against average. She has helped the Lancers record six clean sheets and allowed just two goals all season. As a team, California Baptist ranks fourth nationally in goals-against average and first in save percentage.
FOLLOW ALONG
UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Bakersfield will kick off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30, in Bakersfield. Following that contest, the Gauchos and Lancers will kick off at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ with live statistics available at ucsbgauchos.com/WSOCLiveStats.
