The University of California, Riverside’s (UCR) women’s soccer team has been relentlessly battling in the 11 games they have played this season, with two of them in the Big West. UCR played its first Big West Conference game on Sept. 21, 2025, at Anteater Stadium against UC Irvine, ending in a 3-1 loss.
On Sept. 25, 2025, the Highlanders hosted California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), at the UCR Soccer Stadium. In the first half, both teams were tied at 0-0, leaving everything they had on the field. In the second half, three goals were scored by Fullerton’s Camryn Cruz, Isabella Cruz, and Sail Bozinovic.
Isabella Cruz, Fullerton’s attacking midfielder, delivered a breathtaking play in the game by heading the ball into the goal with a assist from defensive midfield player, Janae Perez— just out of reach of goalkeeper Trinity Hale’s hands.
A standout from UCR’s team was senior forward Sarah Mahfoud. Her performance in this game was astonishing as she persistently chased every ball and was constantly playing up and down the field. The foul that occurred at 53:33, ultimately led to a turnover which caused a goal 36 seconds later by Isabella Cruz, which she had headered inside the box.
UCR had five shots on goal compared to Fullerton’s four, but the Highlanders couldn’t convert anything into goals against CSUF goalkeeper Isaac Ranson. Forward wing, Rylee Lewis had a well-placed shot in the first half of the game, where she shot at the bottom left, however it was never the less saved by Ranson.
Since that game, UCR’s women’s soccer team has played against Cal State Northridge and Cal State Long Beach, which are part of the Big West Conference, and both games unfortunately ended in shutout losses. There record this season as of Oct 7, 2025 is 0-11-2 overall.
With upcoming conference games against the University of Hawai’i and UC San Diego, the hope is that UCR’s team turns their season around and fights for a few wins in the remainder of their season. UCR currently has 3 different goal keepers and could try to rotate them through this season.
The team’s final game before the Big West Championship takes place on Oct. 30, 2025, against UC Davis at the UCR Soccer Stadium.
