PROVO -- The No. 8 BYU women's soccer team will take on the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (9-9-3) in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Women's Soccer College Cup at Stanford, Thursday Nov. 12 at 4:30 p.m. PT.
The Cougars finished their season winning the regular season conference title with a 17-3-2, 6-0-1 record. A disappointing loss in the finals of the Mountain West Conference tournament forced the Cougars to wait for an invitation to the NCAA tournament instead of receiving an automatic bid.
The Cougars have seen five straight NCAA appearances for a total of 11 in school history. Since becoming a MWC school in 1999, the Cougars have been invited to the NCAA tournament each year but one. This year, BYU and San Diego State will represent the conference in the tournament.
For the second year in a row, the UC Santa Barbara women’s soccer team won the
Big West Tournament and received an automatic bid to the tournament. The Gauchos defeated Cal Poly in a penalty kick shootout, 5-4, after the game ended in a 1-1 tie through regulation and overtime. This is BYU's first meeting with UCSB.
Five other 2009 BYU season opponents will also be in the NCAA tournament. They are Oklahoma State, SDSU, West Virginia, Connecticut and Washington State.