The UC Santa Barbara men’s and women’s soccer teams get a head start on their 2025 seasons on Saturday at Harder Stadium. The men will play their Blue/Gold Intra-squad scrimmage at 4 p.m., while the women take on Trinity Western of British Columbia in a friendly match at 7:30 p.m.
Both matches are free to attend. Fans will be able to purchase concessions, Gaucho merchandise, and tickets for future home matches inside the stadium.
Parking is limited due to due to ongoing construction projects. Fans are encouraged to arrive early and park in Lot 27 & 22, next to The Thunderdome. UCSB Athletics will be providing a cart shuttle service from Lot 22 to the stadium, beginning one hour prior to the Blue/Gold Scrimmage.
Coach Tim Vom Steeg’s Gaucho men return a handful of key pieces from last year’s squad, including all three of their NCAA Tournament goal-scorers: Nicolas Willumsen, Haruki Ustumi and Zac Siebenlist, plus leading assister Kaden Standish. The defensive line that kept seven clean sheets in 2024 remains mostly intact, with Andrew Kamienski, Calle Mollerberg and Peleg Brown all back for 2024.
There are 16 new faces on this year’s squad, ranging in background and experience. Eight have come through the ranks of high school and club soccer in the U.S. and Canada, four are junior college transfers, three have arrived from Europe and one — Cate School alumnus Buba Fofanah — joins the Gauchos after four years at the University of Portland.
Coach Paul Stump’s UCSB women welcome Trinity Western to Harder Stadium for their lone tune-up before the regular season. The reigning Big West champions return three of their top five goal scorers from a year ago in Devin Greer, Olivia Howard and Chayse Yu. The Gauchos will also sport a strong midfield and back line with Emma Corcoran, Haley Phillips, Emily Caughey, Samantha Christie, Sofie Rodriguez and Zoe Franks.