Gauchos Host California Baptist at Harder Stadium on Wednesday Before a Saturday Trip to UC Irvine
UC Santa Barbara, 8-3-4 and third in the Big West, meets a 10-3-1 California Baptist side at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in a non-conference crossover match.
UC Santa Barbara hosts California Baptist at Harder Stadium at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, in a non-conference match that California Baptist described as the second of three crossover matches between the Big West and the Pac-12. The match streams on ESPN+.
The Gauchos come in at 8 wins, 3 losses and 4 draws overall, and in third place in the Big West on 8 points from a conference record of 2 wins, no losses and 2 draws, according to the California Baptist preview published on Tuesday, Oct. 20. UC Irvine, in its own Tuesday preview, gave the same overall and conference records for Santa Barbara.
California Baptist arrives with a record of 10 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw, in what will be its 15th match of the season. Its preview said the Lancers are tied with Oregon State at the top of the Pac-12, with one conference match left for each side, and that its final conference match is on Saturday at UC San Diego.
In the RPI ratings the Lancers published, Santa Barbara stood at No. 32 entering Tuesday and California Baptist at No. 62. The preview also noted that the two sides share nine common opponents, against whom the Gauchos have won six, lost two and drawn one, with the two losses coming against San Diego and Oregon State.
Santa Barbara has won three matches in a row, a run its published schedule traces through a win over Cal Poly at Harder Stadium and road wins at Gonzaga and at Cal State Fullerton. Steinar Bjornsson, who scored twice at Fullerton, has eight goals this season, according to the UC Irvine preview, which also put the Gauchos at an average of 16.3 shots a match.
Wednesday is only the third meeting between the two programs since California Baptist moved to Division I, according to its preview. The series is level, each side has won on its own ground, and the Lancers last played in Santa Barbara in 2022.
The week then turns back to the Big West. Santa Barbara plays at UC Irvine at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Anteater Stadium, in a match that also streams on ESPN+, according to the UC Irvine preview. Irvine listed itself at 8 wins, 5 losses and 2 draws, with 10 points in the conference, two ahead of Santa Barbara, and said the Gauchos need a result on Saturday to keep their title and hosting hopes alive.
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