SANTA BARBRA/RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Preparing for their first extended road trip, the University of San Francisco women's soccer team (0-4-1) heads south to take on UC Santa Barbara (1-2-3) on Thursday night followed by a Sunday night matchup against UC Riverside (0-3-3) to wrap up their trip.
 
MATCH 6 DETAILS:
Date: Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023
Time: 7:00 pm PST
Opponent: UC Santa Barbara (1-2-3)
Site: Harder Stadium
Location: Santa Barbra, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
 
MATCH 7 DETAILS:
Date: Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023
Time: 5:00 pm PST
Opponent: UC Riverside (0-3-3)
Site: UCR Soccer Stadium
Location: Riverside, Calif.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
 
DONS AT GLANCE:

• Last time out, San Francisco battled Columbia until the final whistle on Sunday, Sept. 3 as the Dons and Lions finished in a 0-0 draw at Negoesco Stadium. Notably, Kira Ybarra collected five saves on five shots faced in goal.
• Within the conference, Ybarra is fourth in total saves with 19 while Marissa Vasquez is tied for eighth with 14 shots so far this fall.
• Looking ahead, this stretch down south will mark the first two of four consecutive road games for the Dons as San Francisco will head east for matchups at Chattanooga (Sept. 14) and Georgia (Sept. 17) following their trip this weekend.

SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS:

• In their most recent matchup against Iowa State, Santa Barbara came back from being down by two goals in the second half to tie the game 2-2 as senior Lauren Helwig netted two penalty kick goals. The midfielder now leads the team in goals with three total and shots with twenty and eight shots on goal.
• Starting all six games for the Gauchos in goal, junior Sabrina Hinz has collected two shutouts and recorded 16 saves on 43 shots faced so far this season.
• As a team, Santa Barbra has outshot their opponent 71-62 over the course of six games. Thursday's matchup will be their first home game since their season opener on Aug. 17, also marking the last time they have collected a win. 

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS:

• Returning to their home field after two road matches, UC Riverside is looking for their first win of the season with three ties and three losses in the first few weeks of season play.
• Junior Daphane Mendez has been key for the Highlanders so far this year, playing over 55 minutes in each match as a forward in addittion to leading the team with six total shots.
• In goal, senior Cassia Souza has been solid by tallying 33 saves in their six games so far. Notably, she racked up a season-high 10 saves against UC San Diego on Aug. 19.

SERIES HISTORY:

• Since 1985, Santa Barbra leads the head-to-head series with a record of 9-5-1. The last time these two programs faced each other was Aug. 31, 2018 at Negoesco Stadium as the Dons claimed a 2-0 victory over the Gauchos.
• Since 2001, the Dons lead UC Riverside in the head-to-head series at 7-0-1. In their last matchup on Sept. 5, 2019, San Francisco blanked Riverside 5-0 in a dominant home win.

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the USF women's soccer program, be sure to follow @USFDonsWSoccer on Twitter, @USFDonsWSoccer on Instagram and @USFDonsWSOC on Facebook.

MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Get your official San Francisco Dons gear from the University of San Francisco bookstore today! Click here to purchase.

SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor - ABM - for their continued support of USF Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.