Hot starts are becoming the norm in Santa Barbara.
Last year, UC Santa Barbara started the season by winning 12 of its first 13 games, eventually advancing to the WCLA national tournament and finishing sixth in the nation with a 15-6 final record.
This spring, the Gauchos are perfect through 13 games and this week, they have taken over as the new No. 1 team in the national Top 20. Their resume certainly justifies their selection, with nine wins against ranked opponents, including No. 5 UCLA, No. 7 Georgia, No. 9 Virginia and No. 10 BYU.
• This Week’s WCLA Top 20 Rankings: Division I -- Division II
“Beating UCLA was one of our preseason goals and winning that game early in the year gave our team a lot of confidence,” said senior club president Emma Rathjen.
At a time when WCLA clubs in some parts of the country are just launching into their seasons, the Gauchos have, in all likelihood, already punched their ticket to the postseason. Their body of work through the third week in February has, at the least, likely secured an at-large berth to the national tournament for a second straight season.
After advancing to the national quarterfinals of last year’s championship event and eventually placing sixth in the nation, the Gauchos have their sights set higher in 2026.
“Last year’s success helped us to believe in ourselves and realize that we could be competitive against the best teams in the country,” Rathjen said.
The carryover effect from 2025 is clearly paying dividends. The Gauchos are getting it done at both ends of the field this season.
Led by junior midfielder Jackie Enns (team-high 38 goals) and senior attacker Kayla Carpenter (37 goals), the offense is averaging 16.6 goals per game. That includes four games of 20+ goals thus far.
Defensively, UCSB has held 12 of 13 opponents to single-digits, including four games with three goals or fewer. Rathjen serves as one of the key defenders for UCSB’s stingy backline.
“We have a lot of returnees on defense this year, so we knew that we’d have a pretty good defense,” she said. “But truthfully, we’re pretty strong at both ends of the field.”
After a few down seasons, the Gauchos are now waking the echoes of bygone days.
While last year’s national tournament berth was the program’s first since 2016, UC Santa Barbara actually has a long and accomplished postseason history. The Gauchos were one of the long-time staples in the WCLA Tournament, qualifying every year from 2004 through 2016, including a national runner-up finish in 2013. Despite its nine-year absence, UCSB still ranks sixth in most all-time tournament victories, with 18.
“We’re starting to hear more and more from some of the alums who played here before us,” Rathjen said. “It’s been really fun connecting with them, and we’re hoping to set up an alumni game in the future.”
With a heavily front-loaded schedule, due in part to the school’s academic quarter system, the biggest challenge going forward for UCSB may be keeping its momentum in place through the idle weeks ahead. The schedule only shows two more regular season games prior to the Western Women’s Lacrosse League (WWLL) playoffs in April, which will be played in Santa Barbara. UCSB is currently 6-0 against WWLL opponents.
“We will still keep practicing and maybe have a few scrimmages,” Rathjen said. “We all just love playing lacrosse and we have a good time when our team is together, so we’ll keep having fun.”
About the WCLA
Nearly 150 non-varsity collegiate teams comprise the WCLA and compete under the USA Lacrosse umbrella. The season ends every year with the annual Division I and Division II National Championships, which showcase the WCLA’s premier teams. The 2026 championship is scheduled for May 11-16 at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Naples, Fla. and will feature 16 Division I clubs and 12 Division II teams vying for titles.
