The Anteaters went 2-0-0 on the weekend to improve to 7-2-1 overall.

College Soccer: Big West Women close non-conference play

Big West Conference women’s soccer closed out non-conference play last weekend in high style, compiling a 9-2-2 record and improving the pre-conference competition record to 49-36-9. The Big West’s totals include a 4-1-0 record against West Coast Conference teams and a 4-1-1 mark against teams from the Mountain West and Western Athletic Conferences.

Leading the way over the weekend were the UC Irvine women, who went 2-0-0 against WCC foes. The Anteaters handed then-No. 25 Portland a 3-1 loss on Thursday, September 22, and followed up with a 3-2 victory over University of San Diego on Sunday, September 25. UCI is now 7-2-1 on the season, just percentage points ahead of rival Long Beach State. The Anteaters, who were preseason favorites to win the conference, look to extend a nine-game Big West regular season winning streak when they open conference play at UC Davis on Friday, September 30, followed by Pacific on Sunday, October 2. The UCI streak began on the last game of the 2009 season and includes the only unbeaten and untied regular season in Big West women’s soccer history. The only Big West team to make the Top 25 this week, the Anteaters rank No. 23 in the Soccer America poll, No. 19 in the NSCAA/Continental Tire poll, and No. 18 in the Soccer Times poll.

Hot on the heels of UCI, Long Beach State boasts a 7-3-1 record after defeating UNLV 4-1 at home on Friday. The 49ers were the only Big West team to beat UCI last season, knocking them off in the Big West Tournament championships to earn an automatic NCAA Tournament berth. In their last three games, Long Beach has outscored opponents 11-1 and leads the conference with 26 goals, a 2.36 goal per game average, 27 assists and 79 total points. The 49ers were picked to finish second in the preseason poll, just 8 points behind UCI’s total of 78 points. In addition, Long Beach is the only school besides UCI to reach the Top 25, ranking No. 23 the second week of competition and receiving votes the past two weeks. The 49ers open conference play on Friday at UC Santa Barbara and then travel to Cal Poly on Sunday.

Although they were picked to finish eighth in the conference, UC Davis has worked hard to change minds this year. At 6-3-0, the Aggies have put together their best non-conference record since joining the Big West in 2007. Following a rough weekend at the OSU Nike Invitational Tournament, where they lost by single goal margins to both Oregon and No. 21 Oregon State, the Aggies defeated Nevada on Sunday in their only game of the week. UC Davis will open their conference play hosting UC Irvine on Friday, followed by Cal State Northridge on Sunday.

As the only other teams to receive preseason first-place votes, Cal Poly and Pacific have worked to show those votes were not mis-cast. Currently Pacific sits just behind UC Davis with a 6-4-0 record and right ahead of Cal Poly at 6-4-1. Home has been especially good for Pacific, who are unbeaten and untied at 4-0-0, all of the wins clean-sheet victories. The Tigers will need to improve on their 2-4-0 road record after they move into conference play hosting Cal State Northridge on Friday and UC Irvine on Sunday. Cal Poly goes into the conference schedule off a tough 3-2 overtime loss to Fresno State on Friday. The Mustangs will kick off their Big West season by hosting Cal State Fullerton on Friday and Long Beach State on Sunday.

Elsewhere in the conference, Cal State Fullerton (5-4-2) ended pre-conference play by beating San Diego 2-0 on Thursday and tying UNLV 1-1 in double OT on Sunday. After opening conference play at Cal Poly on Friday, the Titans will visit UC Santa Barbara (5-5-2) on Sunday. Before the Titans move in, UCSB will host Long Beach State on Friday. The Gauchos closed out their pre-conference play with a 1-0 win over San Diego State on Wednesday, followed by a 1-1 double OT tie with Cal State Bakersfield on Sunday.

UC Riverside (5-5-1) closed out their early season by beating Lamar 1-0 in overtime on Sunday. The Highlanders have the week off before opening their conference season hosting UC Davis on Thursday, October 6, followed by Pacific on Sunday, October 9. After a difficult early season, Cal State Northridge (2-6-1) will open at Pacific on Friday and UC Davis on Sunday. The Matadors finished the weekend with a split, beating Loyola Marymount 3-0 on Friday and losing to Portland 1-0 in overtime on Sunday.

In individual honors for the week, Erica Shelton, a sophomore forward out of Stockdale High School in Bakersfield, gave UC Santa Barbara their first Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Week for 2011. Shelton scored on a penalty kick against San Diego State to give the Gauchos their 1-0 victory, and then netted a free kick against Cal State Bakersfield to give UCSB a tie. The goals were her first and second of the season.

On the defensive side, UC Irvine’s senior defender CoCo Goodson of Ramona, CA, was named Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Week for helping the Anteaters knock off Portland and San Diego. Goodson helped to limit Portland to one goal – on a penalty kick following her foul in the box. She then redeemed herself by scoring the final goal in the 3-1 victory. In the San Diego game, Goodson made the game-winning assist on a pass to Cami Privett.

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The Big West Conference is a nine-member Division I conference that is currently the only athletic conference with all of its members in one state (California). In 2012 the conference will add the University of Hawai’i at Manoa – its first non-California school since 2005 – and Cal State Sacramento. The Big West currently sponsors 15 sports, including men’s and women’s soccer, basketball, and track and field.