The UC Santa Barbara women’s soccer team, which ranks fifth in the Big West standings, faced off against UC Irvine, which ranks fourth, in the first round of the Big West Championship tournament on Sunday, Nov. 2. Though it was a difficult matchup for the Gauchos, they came out on top with a final score of 1-0 to advance into the semifinals.

“UC Irvine is one of the toughest teams to play in The Big West. They put a lot of pressure on the ball, which makes them a very difficult team to play. We did a very good job tonight dealing with the pressure and then broke through in the second half,” UCSB Head Coach Paul Stumpf said.

In the first half of the game, both teams fought equally for possession of the ball. This battle extended throughout the entirety of the first half with three shots each from the Gauchos and the Anteaters. Though neither team could find the back of the net, the Gauchos’ defense stayed strong with junior goalkeeper Maddie Buckley making key saves, including one in minute 10. The halftime whistle blew, and the match remained scoreless.

After the halftime break, the energy picked up for the Gauchos, and the deciding moment that sent them to the semifinals struck in minute 51. Junior defender Emily Caughey scored with an assist from sophomore defender Mya Delaney, putting UCSB up 1-0.

“Mya (Delaney) played me a great ball and I saw there was space between the defender and the ball. When I got the ball wide open at the far post, I decided to take my chance.” said Caughey.

For the rest of the second half, the Gauchos’ defense would not give in. Despite the Anteaters’ multiple shot attempts late in the match and outshooting the Gauchos 12-7, the whistle blew with a final score of 1-0.

The No. 4 UCSB women’s soccer team is set to face the No. 1 California State University, Northridge Matadors in the semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 6.