Written by Rochelle Farnum

Not too long ago, the infamous spectacle called “Halloween” hit the streets of Isla Vista. After countless hours of too little sleep, long nights in Davison, and last minute scrambles for scantrons, Gauchos everywhere held onto any energy left over from midterms and prepped themselves for a long weekend. Unlike most UCSB students who grabbed their best costumes and “out-of-towner” proofed their humble abodes in IV, the UCSB Women’s Soccer Sport Club team claimed their second bid to Nationals.

Defending their three-time National Champ title, the lady Gauchos proved to be a dominant force. This past Halloween weekend, the Women’s Soccer team headed up to enemy territory in San Luis Obispo for the NIRSA Club Soccer Regional. A complete shutout, the team destroyed their competition: Davis 4 – 0, USC 2 – 0, and UCLA 1 – 0.

Even though the lady Gauchos secured a spot in Nationals by winning their league this season, the results from the tournament proved that they deserved their spot at Nationals. Laura Capparilli, a third-year forward, was an essential component to their success, scoring 4 of 7 goals during the tournament.

“It felt like we earned our title as the #1 team in the region because we ended up taking our second automatic bid to nationals,” Laura said. “It showed that we were competition on the field, not just on paper.”

UCSB last game against long-time rivals, UCLA, showcased the team’s cohesion and their ability to work together.

“As a team, we needed to grind it out and unite together to win,” she said. “We knew it would be a hard game, and that we’d have to defend together as a team to secure our win.”

With high expectations and momentum from season, the lady Gauchos hope to secure their first place title during the national tournament Nov 17 – 21 in Phoenix, AZ.

Gauchosplay will be following the team’s success after nationals, so stayed tuned!