Derrick Tuskan/UC San Diego
Women's Soccer
LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego women's soccer head coach Kristin Jones announced her side's2024 competition scheduleTuesday. The Tritons' challenging slate features 19regular season matches across three states, including a trio of contests against 2023 NCAA tournament teams as well as a full docket of 10 matches against opponents from The Big West.
UC San Diego will play nine regular season home matches at Triton Soccer Stadium in La Jolla.
"This year's schedule features a good home and away balance," said Jones, set to enter her sixth season as the program's head coach."It will be important for us to get momentum in the non-conference portion of our schedule; we want to have a good showing early in what is clearly a very significant fall for us."
After facing defending WAC champion Grand Canyon (Aug. 6) in an exhibition match, the Tritons officially open the 2024 campaign on Thursday, Aug. 15 at Cal – a side which only lost once in ten home matches last year – in the first of a home-and-home series. Three days later, UC San Diego concludes its Bay Area weekend at San Francisco.
Up next, the Tritons play three straight at Triton Soccer Stadium, welcoming Pepperdine (Aug. 22), Nevada (Aug. 25), and California Baptist (Sept. 1) to La Jolla. The Tritons will be in search of their first-ever win over Pepperdine, a perennial top 20 program that has made four NCAA sweet 16 appearances. Meantime, CBU looks to build on a 2023 season that saw the Lancers post an unbeaten mark in WAC play.
The Tritons are back on the road the following week, visiting Big Sky champ Idaho (Sept. 5) and new West Coast Conference member Washington State (Sept. 8) in what will be the first of a home-and-home series with the Cougars. UC San Diego's annual showdown with San Diego State takes place Sept. 12 at SDSU.
UC San Diego begins its fourth Big West season on Sept. 19, when the Tritons host defending conference tournament champion UC Irvine at Triton Soccer Stadium. After wrapping up non-conference play vs. Pacific (Sept. 22), the Tritons are back on the road Sept. 26 at UC Santa Barbara. The month concludes on Sept. 29 at home against Long Beach State.
The month of October begins on the road, with the Tritons visiting Cal State Bakersfield (Oct. 3) and CSUN (Oct. 6). The following weekend, UC San Diego will be back in La Jolla, hosting Hawai'i (Oct. 10) and UC Davis (Oct. 13). The final regular season road trip will pit the Tritons at Cal State Fullerton (Oct. 24) and at UC Riverside (Oct. 27).
The regular season concludes with Cal Poly at home on Senior Night (Oct. 31).
"The transfer portal has really shifted rosters in The Big West," Jones added. "Teams will throw everyone a different look this fall – us included – and with new coaches on top of that, the conference will be even more competitive than it has been. Our goal is clear; we have to show up every game to get results."
The Tritons concluded the 2023 season with a 4-3-3 mark in conference play, including wins at tournament second seed UC Davis and third seed Cal Poly. Despite finishing fifth in The Big West standings last year, conference regulations prevented the Tritons from taking part in the six-team Big West Championship. That won't be the case this year with UC San Diego fully eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play. The six-team Big West Championship begins Nov. 3 with the opening round, concluding with the championship match on Nov. 10. The winner of the Big West Championship will receive an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Admission to regular season home matches at Triton Soccer Stadium is free, though parking permits are required seven days per week on the UC San Diego campus. For the fourth consecutive season, all home matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successfulprograms inNCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era asamemberof the Big West Conference inNCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time inDivisionsIIand III and helped guide1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II.For more information on the Tritons, visitUCSDtritons.comor follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media@UCSDtritons.
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