• The Cal State Bakersfield Men’s Soccer team opened Big West play with a pair of road victories. 
• Head Coach Adam Grant set up a tough non-conference schedule for his squad, which featured four different teams that were either ranked or received votes in the NCAA Top 25 polls at some point this season. 
  • Despite finishing the preseason with an 0-7-1 record, the Roadrunners were clearly well-prepared to compete in The Big West. 
• At the end of Week 1 of Big West play, the `Runners are tied for first in the league standings. 
• Bakersfield played short-handed most of the preseason, missing two or more starters per match, including First Team All-Conference defender Luka Geishauser, and both of the team’s captains. 
  • Geishauser finally made his return shortly before conference matches began and he made an immediate impact on the back line. 

What’s Next? 

• CSUB continues Big West play with a quick stop at home before hitting the road again. 
  • vs. UC Irvine, Oct. 8 
  • at UC Santa Barbara, Oct. 11 
  • Schedule & Tickets 

CSUB 1, Sacramento State 0 

• Looking for both its first win and shutout of the season, Cal State Bakersfield found both on the road in the State Capitol. 
• The `Runners broke through after a scoreless first half to take a 1-0 lead in the 62nd minute. 
  • Justin Knighton scored his first goal as a `Runner, burying a header on a great service by Filip Arras. 
• Sacramento State took 12 shots on the match, but only three were on target as CSUB goalkeeper Zenden Hart made the three saves required for his first shutout of the year. 

CSUB 1, CSUN 0 

• The `Runners earned their second-straight shutout, this time against a red-hot CSUN squad that came into the weekend with a 6-1-3 record. 
• For the second-straight game, the `Runners netted a second-half goal that once again proved to be the difference. 
• Just five minutes into the second period, freshman Jackson Mpawenayo sent a long ball over the top of the Matador defense, finding teammate Oshea Foster in stride and setting the forward up for a 1v1 with the CSUN goalkeeper. 
  • Foster won the joust, slotting home his second goal of the season and giving Bakersfield a 1-0 advantage. 
• In a physical clash that saw the `Runners out-penalized 24-8 in fouls, Bakersfield fended off the Matadors' offensive advances and held on for the road victory. 

• The Roadrunner Women’s Soccer team battled through a pair of tough league matches, earning a vital point on the road. 
• Following two weeks of Big West play, Cal State Bakersfield is tied for sixth in the league standings, with the Top 6 teams in the conference making the Big West Championship. 
• CSUB’s roster features a wide range of offensive weapons as 8 different `Runners have tallied at least 1 goal this season. 
  • Seniors Natalie O’Sullivan, Sara Ybarra, and Cynthia Ramirez lead the charge at 3 goals apiece. 
• Mya Fortun continues to be an ironwoman as the defender is the only `Runner field player to play all 1,080 minutes this season. 

What’s Next? 

• After a slower stretch, the `Runners have entered a busy month of October that will see a total of eight matches played: 
  • vs. Long Beach State, Oct. 9 
  • at CSUN, Oct. 12 
  • Schedule & Tickets 

CSUB 2, Cal Poly 2 

• CSUB Women’s Soccer traveled to the Central Coast to take on a familiar foe in former CSUB Head Coach Bernardo Silva who now leads Cal Poly. 
• Bakersfield took an early lead on an 18th-minute goal by Sara Ybarra. 
• Cal Poly equalized late in the first half, then took a 2-1 lead just a few minutes into the second period. 
• The `Runners continued to battle, finding an equalizer of their own in the 80th minute. 
• Ybarra recorded a brace, converting a penalty kick opportunity to clinch the tie. 
  • Ybarra now has three goals on the season, tying for the team lead with Natalie O’Sullivan and Cynthia Ramirez. 
• Goalkeeper Kamy Anaya recorded three crucial saves to keep the `Runners in the road match. 

CSUB 0, UC Santa Barbara 1 

• The `Runners took another trip to the central coast to visit the Gauchos. 
• UCSB broke through just a few minutes before the end of the first half, scoring what would prove to be the game-winning goal. 
• The `Runners rallied early in the second period, taking five shots in a row, all in five-minute span 
  • Bakersfield tallied 11 shots in the final 45 minutes, but the Gauchos were able to fend off all of CSUB’s advances. 
• CSUB goalkeeper Kamy Anaya made four saves in the loss, but her UCSB counterpart tallied six in the shutout. 

• The Roadrunner volleyball team continued to play well this week, despite coming up short in a pair Big West home matches. 
• Cal State Bakersfield continues to be a difficult matchup for opponents, at times excelling in blocking and/or serving. 
  • The `Runners rank No. 2 in The Big West with 1.60 aces per set this season. 
• Outside hitter Nicole Zake continues to be the go-to offensive weapon for the `Runners. 
  • This week, Zake average 4.11 kills per set on .235 hitting and her 3.56 kills per set on the season is fifth-best in The Big West. 
• Libero Julia Udell averaged 4.75 digs per set this week and she ranks sixth in the league in the category for the year (3.89). 

What’s Next? 

• CSUB heads back out on the road to continue conference play: 
  • at UC Irvine, Oct. 10 
  • at Cal State Fullerton, Oct. 11 
  • Schedule & Tickets 

CSUB 1, CSUN 3 

• The `Runners came up just short in a pair of close sets that could have gone either way: 19-25, 25-22, 23-25, 23-25 
• Nicole Zake (18) and Eva Erzen (12) led the `Runners in kills against the Matadors. 
• Suelen Lima added nine kills and nine blocks in one of her best performances of the season. 
• Luiza Da Cruz (26) and Evelyn Trivino Espinosa (20) each contributed big assist totals. 
• The `Runners and Matadors were closely knotted in most statistical categories, but Bakersfield’s visitors won crucial points when it mattered most to sneak away with a narrow victory. 

CSUB 1, Hawai’i 3 

• Bakersfield battled against one of the perennial powers in the league but fell short: 20-25, 23-25, 25-18, 17-25 
• Nicole Zake led all student-athletes with 15 kills while Druegan Davis chipped in nine of her own. 
• Julia Udell tallied 17 digs and three aces. 
• Luiza Da Cruz posted a double-double with 12 assists and 13 digs. 

• The Cal State Bakersfield swimming and diving teams unofficially kicked off the 2025-26 season with their Blue-Gold Meet. 
• All week long leading up to Saturday’s races, Director of Swimming and Diving Eric Bugby had his squads split up, in and out of the pool, to promote competition heading into a new season. 
• The Roadrunner men and women, led by four captains on each side, mix great experience with fresh energy and enthusiasm as they prepare for an outstanding season ahead. 

What’s Next?  

• The Roadrunners will host an Alumni Meet at the end of this month before officially kicking off the season in early November: 
  • Oct. 25 
  • Bakersfield, Calif. / Hillman Aquatic Center 

CSUB vs. Blue-Gold Meet 

• The first unofficial meet of the season for the `Runners featured great energy as Blue Team and Gold Team fought for bragging rights on the pool deck. 
• In the end, Gold pulled away for a win, 223-172. 
  • The Gold Team’s men handily defeated their Blue counterparts 124-87, while the Gold women held on for a narrow win, 99-85. 
• Heading into his first season at the helm, Eric Bugby described the meet as “better than I expected”. 
• Bugby said his teams executed the gameplan perfectly, splitting faster times in the second half of their races for strong finishes. 
• Overall, the `Runners enjoyed 19 Blue-Gold Meet record performances with 10 coming from CSUB’s men and nine from the women. 
  • For a full list of the records, see this Instagram post.