The defending Big West Champion, the UCSB men’s soccer team, has released the schedule for its 2022 fall season.
The 20-match slate includes two preseason exhibitions and 12 home contests, one of which will be the Gauchos’ non-conference finale at Harder Stadium against Stanford.
Season tickets are now on sale for the 2022 season at ucsbgauchos.com. Single-match tickets will go on sale on Aug. 1..
UCSB begins its year with a pair of preseason exhibitions in mid-August, when Gaucho fans will get to see some new faces join a returning squad that includes 2021 All-Big West selections Finn Ballard McBride, Sam Fletcher and Defensive Player of the Year Henry Davies, among others. The Gauchos open at San Jose State on Aug. 14. On Aug. 20, they will face Westmont in their annual home-opening Community Shield Game.
Their first regular season contest will be played on the road on Aug. 25 against a Missouri State team that has competed in three straight NCAA Tournaments. Three days later, UCSB hosts California Baptist (Aug. 28) in its home regular season opener.
The Gauchos will remain home for four of their first five September games. They will face Cornell for the second straight year on Friday, Sept. 2, this time on their home turf as they look to flip the script from last year’s seven-goal thriller.
On Sept. 4, UCSB plays its final non-conference road match at Loyola Marymount. The Gauchos will then return for a three-game home stand that includes: Oregon State on Sept. 9; Utah Valley on Sept. 11; and Grand Canyon for AYSO Team Parade Night on Sept. 17.
The Blue-Green Rivalry kicks off Big West Conference play in a Wednesday night showdown at Cal Poly on Sept. 21 as the Gauchos look to extend a five-match unbeaten streak over the Mustangs.
They return home for their non-conference finale on Sept. 24, when they welcome Pac-12 school Stanford to town for what should be one of the most thrilling games of the year on paper. The Cardinal wasn’t able to come away with a win in either of its last two trips to Santa Barbara, most recently ending in a 3-3 tie while it was ranked No. 1 in the nation.
Conference play resumes with two more home matches. The first will be against UC San Diego on Sept. 28. The second will be on SBSC Night versus CSUN on Oct. 1.
Following a quick road trip to CSU Bakersfield on Oct. 5, UCSB hosts Cal State Fullerton on Oct. 8.
A midweek meeting at Sacramento State (Oct. 12) will precede a rematch of the 2021 Big West Championship game against UC Irvine on Oct. 15, as the Gauchos face the Anteaters for the first time since their 4-0 victory in last year’s title match.
UCSB will host UC Davis on Oct. 19 before the Blue-Green Rivalry reignites yet again on Oct. 22 in the Gauchos’ home finale on what will be one of the loudest nights all year at Harder Stadium. Seven days after that, they travel to UC Riverside in their final match ahead of tournament play.
The Big West Tournament begins with the quarterfinals on Nov. 2. The semifinals will be on Nov. 5, and the Big West Championship is set for Nov. 13. The NCAA Tournament will start on Nov. 17.
Michael Jorgenson writes about sports for UCSB.
email: sports@newspress.com
