SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The 2026 season for the Sacramento State women's soccer program will look a little different as first-year head coach Tim Strader takes the Hornets into their first season as members of the Big West Conference beginning with the announcement of the team's 20-match schedule for the upcoming 2026 campaign.

After spending the last 30 years as a member of the Big Sky Conference, Sacramento State is one of three newcomers to the Big West, joined by former Western Athletic Conference members California Baptist and Utah Valley. The new-look 12-team league features those three along with Cal Poly, CSUN, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Bakersfield, Long Beach State, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Barbara for the 2026-27 school year.

The Lancers, Wolverines, and Mustangs all earned NCAA Tournament berths in 2025. California Baptist earned the WAC's automatic bid, Cal Poly was the Big West Tournament champion, and Utah Valley was an at-large selection.

Strader, who was named the fifth head coach in the history of the women's soccer program back in March of 2026, looks to improve on the Hornets' 6-11-1 overall record from the 2025 campaign and build upon a roster that returns just eight players from last season.

The season begins with four of the team's first five matches on the road, but all against local opponents. Strader and his Hornets make their debut on Aug. 6 at Santa Clara before hosting Pacific in their home opener a week later on Aug. 13. A string of three road matches follow as Sacramento State travels to UC Davis (Aug. 16), San Francisco (Aug. 20), and Nevada (Aug. 23).

Southern Utah is the opponent for the team's second home contest on Aug. 27, followed by a road match at Fresno State on Sept. 3, a home head-to-head against Saint Mary's on Sept. 10, and a road clash with San Jose State on Sept. 17 to close out non-conference play.

The Hornets play their first-ever Big West match at home on Sept. 23, hosting UC Irvine in a morning doubleheader with the men's team. Home matches against UC Riverside (Sept. 30), Cal State Bakersfield (Oct. 10), Cal State Fullerton (Oct. 17), CSUN (Oct. 24), and California Baptist (Oct. 28) follow.

Road matches in conference play include trips to UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 26), Long Beach State (Oct 3), UC San Diego (Oct. 14), Utah Valley (Oct. 21), and reigning league champion Cal Poly for the regular season finale on Oct. 31.

The Big West Tournament, which features the top six teams in the regular season standings, begins on Nov. 4 with the championship match scheduled for Nov. 13. The top two teams receive a bye into the semifinals with the remaining four schools competing in the opening round.

2026 SACRAMENTO STATE WOMEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE
Aug. 6 at Santa Clara, 7:30 PM
Aug. 13 vs. Pacific, 5 PM
Aug. 16 at UC Davis, TBA
Aug. 20 at San Francisco, 6 PM
Aug. 23 at Nevada, 2 PM
Aug. 27 vs. Southern Utah, 5 PM
Sept. 3 at Fresno State, 6 PM
Sept. 10 vs. Saint Mary's, 4 PM
Sept. 17 at San Jose State, 7 PM
Sept. 23 vs. UC Irvine* (DH), 10 AM
Sept. 26 at UC Santa Barbara*, 6 PM
Sept. 30 vs. UC Riverside*, 4 PM
Oct. 3 at Long Beach State*, 7 PM
Oct. 10 vs. Cal State Bakersfield*, 4 PM
Oct. 14 at UC San Diego*, 7 PM
Oct. 17 vs. Cal State Fullerton* (DH), 1 PM
Oct. 21 at Utah Valley*, 6 PM
Oct. 24 vs. CSUN*, 3 PM
Oct. 28 vs. California Baptist*, 3 PM
Oct. 31 at Cal Poly*, 1 PM
Nov. 4 at Big West Tournament Quarterfinals
Nov. 7 at Big West Tournament Semifinals
Nov. 13 at Big West Tournament Finals
Nov. 20-Dec. 14 at NCAA Tournament

* Big West Conference match