Sept. 1, 2008

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara women's soccer team has entered the Soccer Buzz Magazine national rankings at No. 21. It marks the first time since 1992 that the Gauchos have been included in the national rankings.

UCSB is off to a 3-1 start. The Gauchos' have posted wins over Nevada (4-0), San Diego (1-0), and Pepperdine (3-2). Their sole loss came at the hands of UCLA (2-1), which is ranked No. 1 by Soccer Buzz and No. 2 by the soccer coaches.

The Gauchos, who had one of the best recruiting classes in the nation, are off to their best start in several years. They have gone 3-1, and their last two wins have come on goals in the final two minutes. In fact, over the weekend, Santa Barbara posted last-minute victories over West Coast Conference opponents San Diego and Pepperdine, a pair of programs that the Gauchos have historically had trouble with.

In the 1980s, UCSB was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation. In recent years, the Gauchos have been ranked in the top-10 among the Far West region, but they have not been ranked nationally.

The Gauchos will host Sacramento State on Sunday, Sept. 7, at Harder Stadium in a 1:00 p.m. contest