Gauchos Host Bakersfield in the Big West Final at Harder Stadium on Friday Night
UC Santa Barbara, the No. 3 seed, meets first time finalist Cal State Bakersfield, the No. 4 seed, at 7 p.m. on Friday at Harder Stadium. The winner takes the Big West title and the league's automatic place in the NCAA championship.
UC Santa Barbara hosts Cal State Bakersfield in the Big West men's soccer championship match at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 13 at Harder Stadium. The Gauchos are the No. 3 seed and Bakersfield is the No. 4 seed, and the winner earns the conference title and its automatic entry into the NCAA Division I men's soccer championship.
Santa Barbara reached the final by playing No. 2 seed UC Irvine to a scoreless draw through two overtimes on Saturday at Anteater Stadium, then advancing 4 to 2 on penalty kicks. The Big West reported 42 combined fouls and 10 cards in the semifinal, including a red card for UC Irvine in the 54th minute that left the hosts a player down for the rest of the night.
Kaden Standish, Donovan Sessoms, Steinar Bjornsson and Mateos Carvalho converted in the shootout for the Gauchos. The result sent Santa Barbara into its 11th Big West final and its fifth in the last six seasons, seeking a third Big West championship. The Gauchos carry a 9-5-5 record overall and went 3-1-2 in conference play.
Bakersfield reached its first Big West final since joining the conference in 2020 by winning 1 to 0 at No. 1 seed Utah Valley on Saturday, with an automatic berth in the NCAA championship on the line in Friday's match.
The two teams played to a scoreless draw in Bakersfield in their regular season meeting. Friday's final is carried on ESPN+, with the conference listing David Gascon and Christian Miles on the call.
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