OREM—Utah Valley women's soccer heads back on the road Saturday night as the Wolverines travel to California to face UC Santa Barbara in a key Big West Conference matchup at Harder Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT, with the match broadcast live on ESPN+.
Utah Valley enters the contest with a 10-4-3 overall record and remains unbeaten in its inaugural Big West season at 6-0-2. The Wolverines are tied atop the conference standings with Cal State Fullerton at 20 points, five ahead of third-place UC San Diego. UC Santa Barbara is 8-3-6 overall and 3-2-3 in league play, sitting tied for fourth with Cal Poly and CSUN at 12 points.
The Wolverines have won four consecutive matches and are unbeaten in their last nine contests, posting a 7-0-2 record during that stretch. UVU has outscored its opponents 28-7 over those nine matches and has scored 25 goals through its first eight Big West contests.
Utah Valley is coming off a dominant 6-1 victory over Sacramento State on Wednesday night at UCCU Stadium. Senior forward Sadie Beardall recorded two goals and two assists for a six-point performance, while Josie Clawson, Nixan Jackson and Mia Owens also found the back of the net. The Wolverines outshot the Hornets 28-4, including a 10-2 advantage in shots on goal, and held a 9-1 edge in corner kicks.
The victory gave Utah Valley its eighth consecutive season with 10 or more wins and marked the ninth time in head coach Chris Lemay's 10 seasons that the Wolverines have reached double-digit victories.
Wednesday's win also extended Utah Valley's regular-season conference unbeaten streak to 40 consecutive matches, dating back to Oct. 8, 2022, at Seattle U. The Wolverines have gone unbeaten in 31 straight regular-season conference home matches, with their last home league loss coming against California Baptist on March 11, 2021.
Utah Valley has officially clinched a berth in the 2026 Big West Women's Soccer Championship in its first season in the league. The tournament will be played Nov. 4, 7 and 14, with the higher-seeded teams hosting each round. The top two seeds receive first-round byes and will host semifinal matches on Nov. 7. The Wolverines are seeking their first Big West championship after winning four consecutive WAC regular-season titles from 2022-25.
UVU continues to hold the No. 1 spot in the IWSOC Coaches Poll West Region Top 10 for the second consecutive week. The Wolverines earned the top ranking in the Oct. 20 poll, with Cal State Fullerton second and Oral Roberts third. UC Santa Barbara is also represented in the regional rankings at No. 9.
Utah Valley ranks among the nation's offensive leaders, standing fifth in total assists (45), sixth in total points (121), seventh in shots on goal per game (8.53), eighth in total goals (38) and 11th in assists per game (2.65). The Wolverines lead The Big West in scoring offense (2.24), shots per game (18.18), points per game (7.12) and goal differential (+22).
Senior forward Nixan Jackson leads the nation in total assists with 11, tied with Kansas' Livvy Moore and Alcorn's Annick Zouma. Jackson ranks fifth nationally in assists per game (0.65) and has recorded six goals and 11 assists for 23 points this season. She has five goals and six assists through eight Big West matches.
Beardall leads Utah Valley with 10 goals and 25 points, ranking 19th nationally in total points and 23rd in goals. The senior forward has scored nine goals in Big West play, including braces against Cal State Bakersfield, UC Irvine and Sacramento State. She has scored in three consecutive matches and has recorded three game-winning goals this season. Beardall was named The Big West Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 19, while junior Kate Shirts earned Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Freshman goalkeeper Madeleine Boucher has recorded a 10-2-3 record with a 0.85 goals-against average, 47 saves and five shutouts this season. Boucher recorded consecutive clean sheets against California Baptist and UC Riverside before helping the Wolverines defeat Sacramento State on Wednesday.
UC Santa Barbara enters Saturday's contest looking to rebound from a 2-0 road loss at Cal Poly on Wednesday night. The Gauchos opened conference play with a 2-2 draw against Long Beach State before earning 1-0 wins over Sacramento State and Cal State Bakersfield. UCSB has also recorded a scoreless draw at California Baptist, a 1-0 win over UC Irvine and a 1-1 draw against UC San Diego. The Gauchos are unbeaten at home this season with a 5-0-4 record at Harder Stadium.
Sophomore forward Delilah Vega-Aguilar leads UC Santa Barbara with five goals and 10 points, while junior midfielder Ava Jarolimek has three goals and two assists for eight points. Junior forward Chayse Yu leads the Gauchos with five assists and has seven points on the season. Junior forward Isabella Ong has added two goals and two assists.
Senior goalkeeper Maddie Buckley has appeared in 16 matches for UC Santa Barbara, posting a 7-3-6 record with a 1.17 goals-against average, 59 saves and a .766 save percentage. Buckley has recorded six individual shutouts, while the Gauchos have seven shutouts as a team. UCSB is averaging 1.35 goals and 14.59 shots per match.
Saturday's contest will mark the first-ever meeting between Utah Valley and UC Santa Barbara in women's soccer. It will also be the first matchup between the two programs as Big West opponents.
The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Following Saturday's contest, Utah Valley will return home to host Long Beach State on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 6 p.m. MT at UCCU Stadium before closing out the regular season at CSUN on Oct. 31.
