LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego women's soccer program announced its 2021 competition schedule Wednesday.
The Tritons' schedule features 18 matches, including 10 contests against Big West Conference opponents for the first time. UC San Diego will play eight home matches at the
newly renovated Triton Soccer Stadium.
"Though it has been a long wait, we are excited to get going on the Division I era of our program," said UC San Diego head coach
Kristin Jones, set to enter her third season as the program's head coach.
After hosting San Diego in an exhibition on Aug. 13, the Tritons officially open the 2021 campaign on Thursday, Aug. 19 at home against Cal. Three days later, UC San Diego welcomes Texas Tech to Triton Soccer Stadium for the first meeting between the two programs.
Up next, the Tritons go on the road for the first time when they close out August with matches at UNLV (Aug. 29) and Southern Utah (Aug. 31). UC San Diego concludes non-conference action with two more on the road: Sept. 5 at San Francisco and Sept. 9 at Pepperdine. The final non-conference match is slated for Sept. 19 at home against Grand Canyon.
"As you can see from our schedule, we are challenging ourselves from the get-go which is extra motivation for our scholar-athletes and our staff," Jones added. "We look forward to stepping up against some top-notch programs, recognizable names, and anticipate the ability to compete right away."
UC San Diego begins Big West play for the first time on Sept. 16, when the Tritons travel to CSUN – the first of three straight conference matches away from home. UC San Diego plays at Long Beach State on Sept. 23 and at UC Irvine on Sept. 26.
The Tritons open their home Big West slate by welcoming CSU Bakersfield on Sept. 30. The squad remains at Triton Soccer Stadium to host CSUN on Oct. 3 and UC Santa Barbara on Oct. 14. UC San Diego visits Cal Poly on Oct. 17 before returning home to face UC Riverside (Oct. 21) and 2019 Big West champion Cal State Fullerton (Oct. 24).
The season's final road trip sends the Tritons to UC Davis on Oct. 28 and Hawai'i on Oct. 31 for Big West showdowns.
UC San Diego began its transition to NCAA Division I last summer but has yet to play an official match under its new designation. The Big West canceled what would have been the Tritons' inaugural season in Division I as a member of the conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tritons did play four scrimmages against Big West opponents this past spring.
Attendance policies for the upcoming 2021-22 athletic season have not yet been determined and broadcast information will be announced at a later date.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions III and II and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America accolades, while 38 have received 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 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
