History in the Making: `Runners in CSUB's First-Ever Big West Final

CSUB Women's Soccer will play UC Santa Barbara on Sunday in the Big West Championship Game.

HONOLULU – Knocking off the #1-seed and Big West Championship host Hawai'i with a gritty, 3-0 victory, the Cal State Bakersfield women's soccer team earned itself an unprecedented opportunity late on Thursday night. The fifth-seeded Roadrunners battled their way into the Big West Championship Game, a first for any CSUB Athletics program since joining the league in 2020-21.

Predicted to finish ninth of 11 teams in the Preseason Coaches' Poll, the `Runners have upended all external expectations, but second-year Head Coach Bernardo Silva has been preparing his squad for this moment since he arrived in Bakersfield.

“What a historical achievement this season has been already for our women’s soccer program, and I couldn’t be prouder of our young women for continuing to bring to life the vision we had when we diligently built this group in the off-season. This post-season run is a product of a relentless approach to preparation and our team playing for something bigger than ourselves, which is, to put CSUB Athletics on the map and via the slogan, ‘We are the NEW BAKERSFIELD’, be the first program in school history to be in the position we are in on Sunday playing for a Big West Championship. Every game in our conference is a battle and Sunday will be no different as it will be a game that requires attitude, concentration, and effort for 90+ minutes and our team will be ready for the task at hand.”

CSUB Head Coach Bernardo Silva

Cal State Bakersfield will face third-seeded UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Championship Game on Sunday, Nov. 10. The Semifinals and Final are being hosted in Waipahu, Hawai'i. Kickoff on Sunday is slated for 1 p.m. (PT).

Links to tickets, the ESPN+ live stream, and live stats are all available on the CSUB women's soccer schedule page.

CSUB Athletics is making plans to host a watch party for Sunday's Championship Game. Follow @CSUB_WSoccer and @CSUBAthletics on social media for more details to come.