Week in Sports
TOP SPORTING EVENTS: NOVEMBER 18-28
Several area teams will be trying to stay alive in playoff action the next few days. The big game is tonight’s (Thu., Nov. 18) NCAA men’s soccer tournament opener between UCSB and Denver at Meredith Field at Harder Stadium.
Santa Barbara High has reached the CIF Division 2 girls tennis semifinals. The Dons will host San Marino today. Dos Pueblos High played in the Division 1 water polo semifinals Wednesday night.
Dos Pueblos, Bishop Diego and Carpinteria will try to prolong their successful football seasons in the CIF playoffs Friday night. Last year, none of the city’s 11-man teams qualified for the postseason. In eight-man football, Laguna Blanca and Cate are playing second-round games Saturday.
SBCC has two soccer teams in the State Regionals, and both will host first-round games Saturday at La Playa Stadium, the Vaquero women against Moorpark at 4 p.m. and the men against Hancock at 7 p.m. The Vaqueros also have a home match to kick off the women’s volleyball regionals Tuesday night. SBCC clinched its second straight Western State Conference volleyball title this week.
Other teams are just beginning their seasons. UCSB plays its women’s basketball home opener against Portland State this afternoon. The Gaucho women take the floor again Saturday afternoon against Idaho, and later the men will take on Fresno State at the Thunderdome. Westmont College’s men, off to a 3-0 start, host Cal State San Bernardino. SBCC is staging its annual MTXE (Mental Toughness Extra Effort) women’s basketball tournament this weekend.
Runners can burn off calories in two upcoming events, UCSB’s Turkey Trot and the Thanksgiving 4-miler (information below).
Here is the schedule, highlighting home games and significant out-of-town action:
Thursday, November 18
College women’s basketball – Portland State at UCSB, 1 p.m.; San Diego Mesa at SBCC, 7 p.m.
High school girls tennis – CIF semifinals: San Marino at Santa Barbara, 1:30 p.m.
College men’s soccer – NCAA tournament, first round: Denver at UCSB, 7 p.m.
Friday, November 19
College women’s basketball – MTXE Tournament at SBCC, 3-7 p.m.
High school football – CIF playoffs, first round: Camarillo at Dos Pueblos, 7:30 p.m.; Carpinteria at Cantwell, 7:30 p.m.; Bishop Diego at Sierra Canyon, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 20
College men’s water polo – Pepperdine at UCSB, 1 p.m.
High school football (8 man) – CIF playoffs, second round: Santa Clarita Christian at Laguna Blanca, 1 p.m.; Cate at Excelsior Education Center (Victorville), 5 p.m.
College women’s basketball – Idaho at UCSB, 2 p.m.; MTXE Tournament at SBCC, 3-7 p.m.
College women’s soccer – State Regionals, first round: Moorpark at SBCC, 4 p.m.
College men’s soccer – State Regionals, first round: Hancock at SBCC, 7 p.m.
High school boys water polo – CIF Division 1 final at Irvine’s William Woollett Jr. Aquatic Center, 6:30 p.m.
College men’s basketball – Fresno State at UCSB, 7 p.m.; CSU San Bernardino at Westmont, 7 p.m.
Sunday, November 21
College men’s soccer – NCAA tournament, second round: UCSB-Denver winner at UC Berkeley, 1:30 p.m.
Monday, November 22
Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon, Harry’s Plaza Café, 12 p.m.
High school girls tennis – CIF finals at the Claremont Club.
College women’s basketball – Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) at Westmont, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, November 23
College women’s basketball – Bakersfield at SBCC, 3 p.m.
College women’s basketball – Southern Cal Regional, first round: TBA at SBCC, 7 p.m.
Friday, November 26
College men’s basketball – SBCC vs. Fullerton at Oxnard, 1 p.m.; Westmont vs. CSU Stanislaus at Atherton, 2 p.m.
High school football – CIF playoffs, second round.
Saturday, November 27
College men’s basketball – Westmont vs. College of Idaho at Atherton, 2 p.m.; UCSB at Portland, 7 p.m.; SBCC at Oxnard Condor Classic.
Sunday, November 28
College women’s basketball – Northern Colorado at UCSB, 2 p.m.
College men’s basketball – SBCC at Oxnard Condor Classic.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Saturday, November 20 – UCSB Recreation Turkey Trot, 5K-10K walk/run, UCen lawn, 8:30 a.m. gauchosplay.com.
Thursday, November 25 – Thanksgiving 4 Miler, Magnolia Shopping Center, 9 a.m. runsantabarbara.com.
Saturday, November 27 – Red Rock 40-Mile Trail Run, Los Padres National Forest Red Rock day use area, 6 a.m. allwedoisrun.com.
