Wednesday, August 5
Irvine, Calif.
6:00 PM
UC Irvine
vs
Arizona (Exhibition)
Photo by: Jake Hamlin
5 Things To Know: 2026 Women's Soccer Preview
July 31, 2026 | Women's Soccer
IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine women's soccer season is under a week away with an exhibition matchup against Arizona in Anteater Stadium.
Coach Juniper helped lay out five main things entering the 2026 season for UC Irvine women's soccer for fans to know:
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100 WINS AND COACHING
Coach Juniper helped lay out five main things entering the 2026 season for UC Irvine women's soccer for fans to know:
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100 WINS AND COACHING
- Head Coach Scott Juniper is back in the saddle for his 20th season coming into the season with 184 career wins, most in UCI women's soccer coaching history. The other six head coaches in history have a combined 190 wins for the Anteaters.
- The Anteater coaching staff was completed by P.J. Woolridge and Danielle de Seriere who as a duo over 12 seasons together have been around for 100 wins.
- One part of the coaching trio departed over the summer as de Seriere headed to UCLA to become an assistant coach for the rival Bruins. In her place, coach Juniper has added Wendy Espejel who brings nine years of collegiate coaching experience and five years as a head coach. Her coaching extends beyond the collegiate level as she is also an assistant coach with the Mexico under-20 National Team, and she will embark to the Under-20 Women's World Cup this September in Poland.
- The Anteaters produced 10 All-Big West honorees last season to lead all Big West schools. Returning from that crew are three Anteaters for 2026 led by the minutes leader in the back, Hailey Clingan, one of the top returning scoring threats, Clara Samson, and an All-Freshman Team honoree, Fiona Shin.
- Another important trio are the captains leading the Anteaters this season. Clingan is one of them as the only player with over 2,000 career minutes. Joining her are a pair of fifth-year 'Eaters starting with goalkeeper Savanna Arruda who made her presence felt in net last season and enters 2026 as the only keeper on the roster with collegiate minutes. Completing the trio is Jenika Davis who came into the program as a promising freshman and has detoured through her health battles off the field only to return stronger than even in her fifth season and one of the leaders of the program.
- One of the most noticeable parts of the Anteater program are the 17 newcomers joining the squad with 13 freshmen and four transfers from four-year colleges.
- A unique pair of the 17 are Taylor Esparza, a freshman that finished high school ahead of schedule, and a junior with Power Four experience after two years at Arizona State, Oona Hartman, who each were Winter admits and have been working with the program since the beginning of the calendar year.
- Hartman is joined by an impactful trio of transfers, some with Big West ties. Sara Paul enters as a grad transfer keeper from Cal State Bakersfield ready to make her impact. Mimi Dominguez was an All-Big West honoree as a freshman two years ago at UC Riverside and spending at year at Kentucky in the SEC in 2025. Mimi Yamamoto also joins the fray after a freshman year at the University of Utah joining the Mimi core that could dominate the midfield
- UCI's freshman class has always had an impact and sometimes very immediate which has shown up with 11 times in 13 years putting an 'Eater on the All-Freshman Team. The freshman class is venturing outside California with a duo from the state of Nevada including the two-time Gatorade Player of the Year from the state, and another duo from the state of Washington who played together on the same club like the Nevada pair.
- UC Irvine led with their backline in 2025 finishing with a 0.550 goals-against-average, good for fifth-best in the nation.
- In addition to the strength in goal, the defensive front allowed opponents just 3.40 shots on goal allowed, well below any other Big West school, and very impactful in shutting down the opposition.
- Like every season, the coaching staff has put together a challenging and competitive schedule. In the non-conference, a selection of Power Four opponents emerge like Arizona in the season-opening exhibition. The perennial championship contender on the slate is Stanford who UCI will travel to for its first road match and second match of the season. They follow up at Washington State, another perennial postseason squad.
- Anteater Stadium will be front and center in a lot of competition with six non-conference matchups at home and five more Big West matchups. The field itself went over a makeover with a newly-laid and sodded pitch with the same turf that was used in the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup and other venues like Dodger Stadium or the Coliseum at USC.
- The Big West has undergone a bit of a makeover itself with two school, Hawai'i and UC Davis, leaving for greener pastures, and three new schools joining the collective in Utah Valley, California Baptist, and Sacramento State. The physical schedule has shifted a bit with conference games being played on Wednesdays and Saturdays, a majority of home matches played in the evening, and the Big West Championship being played on campus sites.
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