The western seaboard awakens this weekend, as DI and DII women’s colleges play the first league matches of 2015. California sees the most action, but the activity will spread eastward in the coming week.

PACIFIC MOUNTAIN SOUTH - DI
Arizona vs. UC San Diego
Arizona State vs. UC Santa Barbara

Both Arizona schools travel to the Golden State to kick off the DI season. Of the four teams in motion this Saturday, UC San Diego has made the best pre-season impression, having advanced to the finals of two recent, competitive tournaments.

At its own Scrum by the Sea in November, the Tritons caught a glimpse of Arizona – tomorrow’s opponent – during the opening round and put away the Wildcats 24-10. The final was a rematch against CSU Northridge, and the DII team eked out a 5-3 victory.

At the Stanford Invitational, UCSD bettered Oregon, UC Davis and Western Washington, and dropped two games to host Stanford, the latter of which was a 26-12 loss in the final.

It’s a toss-up between Arizona State and UC Santa Barbara. The former has been more active in the pre-season and was last seen beating Cal and Humboldt at Scrum by the Sea, an event that local UCSB did not attend. Early in the season, field time will play a big role in the outcomes of games, but this is an eight-week regular season, and standings swaps are common in this conference.

PACIFIC MOUNTAIN NORTH - DI
Washington State vs. Washington

The conference has contested the first half of its season, and this pair lined up against each other on Nov. 8. Washington State racked up 63 unanswered points in the win, and we’re expecting something similar Saturday.

The Cougars are currently 2-1, having suffered its first conference loss in two years to newcomer Central Washington, while the Huskies are looking for its first win at 0-4. Washington is new to division one and struggling, scoring only seven points last fall while allowing 238.

Despite Washington State’s prowess, the reigning champ is still initiating a lot of newcomers. Eagle Anne Peterson, flanker Gaby Drllevich and outside center Sammie Pedersen have been instrumental in letting promising rookies like Maddie Holmes and Alex Denzinger express themselves. Watch for all five to make major contributions on Saturday.

WEST COAST – DII
Fresno State vs. CSU Monterey Bay
St. Mary’s College vs. SF BATS
Santa Clara vs. UC Santa Cruz

This division is always a tricky one to nail down, as eligibility has been an issue in the past. But one can always count on UC Santa Cruz, the current West Coast champion, Humboldt and UN Reno to be solid title contenders. The latter two teams are off this weekend, but the Banana Slugs should get its first win of the season. In terms of pre-season, UC Santa Cruz warmed up at the Scrum by the Sea, while Santa Clara initiated some rookies at the Stanford 7s National Qualifier.

Fresno State is relatively young and impressed with a win against UCSC last year, but then lost some steam. They’ll ease into the season with a game against conference newcomer CSU Monterey Bay.

The SF BATS is also a traditionally strong team, but it’s composed of University of San Francisco and SF State students, and therefore ineligible for post-season. The combo squad played St. Mary’s in the fall and won 29-0.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA – DII
UC Riverside vs. UC Irvine

CSU Northridge and Long Beach State have been the top dogs in this conference of late, but both UC Riverside and UC Irvine lead a very strong middle tier of competition. Both competed in the social division of Scrum by the Sea and populated their falls with friendlies. We’re expecting a good, tough league opener, putting the season in the right direction.