-All 11 teams take the pitch around The Big West this week to celebrate the start of a new season in 2024. Our opening week slate contains 20 contests scattered between the two competition days of Thursday and Sunday.
- Four Big West squads will face off against top 25 foes, with two of the three members of the opposition ranking within the top 15 of the national preseason poll. No. 11 UCLA visits preseason favoriteLong Beach State on Thursday, Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. in the first nationally ranked matchup of the season.
On Sunday, Cal State Bakersfield visits No. 17 Texas at 11 a.m. whilethree-time defending conference champion UC Irvine travels up north to take on No. 2 Stanford on Sunday, Aug. 18 at 1 p.m. The Bruins will play another representative of The Big West membership when they welcome UC Riverside on Sunday, Aug. 18 at 2 p.m.
- 10 total matches are set to air on ESPN+. Check the listings here to watch your favorite Big West teams in action.
Preseason Prognostics
-Long Beach State has been selected as the preseason favorite in The Big West heading into the 2024 campaign, as voted on by the league's 11 head coaches.
The Beach (10-6-4, 5-3-2 BW) earned 91 points and six first-place votes in the polling to claim the top spot of the preseason table for consecutive seasons. Coaches in the league also voted on an 11-person Preseason All-Big West team.
Long Beach State lands two student-athletes on the preseason team, Brooklyn Antonucci and newcomer Liz Worden. As a freshman, Antonucci helped anchor LBSU's back line, which allowed only 1.50 goals per game. Offensively, Antonucci contributed six assists in 2023, tied for second overall amongst student-athletes in The Big West last season. Worden, a Riverside native, returns to California after transferring from Texas. The junior amassed five scores and six assists as a member of the Longhorns last seasonto climb back into the Big West playoff picture.
Cal State Fullerton (8-5-7, 6-1-3 BW) and Cal Poly (10-8-3, 6-3-1 BW) are deadlocked in a second-place tie with both 86 points, three first-place tallies for CSF and a pair of first-place votes for CP behind the Beach. Last season, the Titans won the 2023 Big West regular season while the Mustangs competed in the 2023 Big West Championship Final versus UC Irvine. The two teams also place a pair of student-athletes on the preseason team, respectively.
Emma Brown celebrates Defensive Player of the Year accolades from last season after contributing to a stifling Mustang defense that only allowed 1.17 GPG alongside 1.167 goals against average. This year, Brown was named as one of the 26 players nation-wide as a Defender to Wach by the United Soccer Coaches. Kate Reedy led Cal Poly in games played (21) and goals scored (5) as a junior last season.
Kaylin Raibon of the Titans led the team with 12 total points (5 goals, 2 assists) and was tabbed on the preseason team a year ago. Mia Ranson returns in goal for Cal State Fullerton after claiming 2023 Big West Goalkeeper of the Year behind an impressive league-high 88 saves and seven shutouts as a sophom*ore.
Three-time defending conference champion UC Irvine (10-8-6, 3-3-4 BW) comes in fourth place in the poll. Last year, the Anteaters made a run and secured the 2023 Big West Women's Soccer Championship with climatic wins against Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton, and Cal Poly. From there, the 'Eaters advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 where their magical run came to an end.
Forward Desiree Mendoza and defender Kiera Smeenge return to the team as fifth-year players in 2024. Mendoza has managed to play in 63 matches (56 starts), alongside 10 career goals, 28 points, and six game-winners. Smeenge is approaching 5,000 minutes as a member of UCI's back-line and was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Women's National Top 100 Players on their postseason list (No. 98).
UC Davis (10-7-2, 6-2-2 BW) lands at the fifth-place spot on the poll. The Aggies put Sam Tristan on the preseason list who finished second on UCD with 16 points (6 goals, 5 assists.) Tristan also finished top 10 in the nation in penalty kicks converted last season as a junior.
UC Santa Barbara (4-8-7, 2-6-2 BW), Hawai'i (5-8-3, 4-5-1 BW), and UC San Diego 05-8-5, 4-3-3 BW) are positioned in the middle of the pack with the Gauchos earning a sixth-place 50 points while the Rainbow Wahine and Tritons are tied at seven with 47 points apiece. Both Hawai'i and UC San Diego landed a lone student-athlete on the preseason team.
The Rainbow Wahine returns their leading scorer from a year ago, Amber Gilbert. The junior forward notched an All-Big West first-team selection after finishing third in the league in total scores andranked second in the conference with .438 goals per game.
Skylar Enge of UCSD comes to La Jolla, Calif. from Pepperdine, bringing experience as a graduate student with 71 games played (24 starts) and 17 total career points.
Cal State Bakersfield (3-10-4, 2-5-3 BW), UC Riverside (2-10-7, 2-5-3 BW), and CSUN (1-13-5, 1-5-4 BW) round out the preseason rankings. These three squads will be looking to shake up the league after improving last season.
The Matadors welcome new head coach Gina Brewer to Northridge, Calif. after spending the 2023 season as an assistant coach at UCLA. In one season with the Bruins, Brewer helped guide UCLA to the Pac-12 Championship and a 16-2-1 record.
Action across The Big West kicks off this Thursday, Aug. 15. Conference play begins on Thursday, Sept. 19 with four matches on the docket, kicking off a seven-week slate. Each side will see five home matches and three bye dates dotted throughout the Thursday-Sunday rotation that ends on Oct. 31.
Select regular-season contests are slated for telecast on the ESPN family of networks. Please check ESPN listings for upcoming game schedules and additional information.
2023 Postseason Rewind/2024 Look Ahead
-In 2023, UC Irvine secured its third straight Big West championship after battling its way through as the fifth seed.
The Anteaters needed more than overtime to knock off fourth-seeded Long Beach State as the group advanced past the first round 4-1 in penalty kicks. The semifinals saw UCI take down top-seeded and host-site Cal State Fullerton in a 1-0 decision, clinching a spot in the championship final for consecutive seasons. UC Irvine completed its three-peat with a 1-0 victory over No. 3 Cal Poly in the championship match.
The 'Eaters went on to advance to the third round of the NCAA Championship in back-to-back seasons starting with a thrilling 1-0 triumph over top-seeded and defending national champion UCLA. In the second round, UCI grinded out a 2-1 win over eighth-seeded Gonzaga before bowing out in the third round versus No. 5 seed Nebraska, 4-0.
The first round of the six-team 2024 Big West Women's Soccer Championship will be hosted by the higher-seeded team as the No. 3 seed takes on the No. 6 seed and the No. 4 seed hosts the No. 5 seed on Sunday, Nov. 3.
From there, the advancing teams compete at the site of the regular-season champion and top seed to play the semifinal and championship matches.
The semifinal round is set for Thursday, Nov. 7 with the clash for The Big West crown coming on Sunday, Nov. 10.
From The Big West to the Big Leagues
- In January 2022, Long Beach State forwardLena Silanowas selected 34th overall by the Washington Spirit in the third round of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Draft.
Silano was the second straight player from the Beach to be drafted and is the fourth overall Big West student-athlete to hear their name called in the NWSL Draft. Former teammate,Kaitlin Freguliaand 2x Big West Defensive Player of the Year (2017, 2021) was selected 12th overall to the North Carolina Courage as the highest draft pick in Big West Women's Soccer history.
Silano won the 2022 Big West Offensive Player of the Year Award and has been an All-Big West selection twice (2021, 2022). The forward also was a member of the 2022 United Soccer Coaches All-West Region First Team.
Two months later, another alum of the Big West would have an opportunity to play in the NWSL as UC Irvine alumScarlett Camberoswas signed by Angel City FC (LA), marking her return to Southern California after spending time at Club América Femenil.The former Anteater scored 13 goals and notched seven assists during her senior season.
Another monumental moment for the conference occurred during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup whileQuinley Quezadarepresented UC Riverside and the Big West on the biggest stage while playing for the Philippines. The squad suffered a 2-0 defeat versus Switzerland in the first group stage before winning its first-ever world cup match against New Zealand, 1-0 on July 25, 2023. However, The Philippines fell in its final group match to Norway, 6-0.
