UCI Flavor of the Week: Rocky Road
October 10, 2011 | Men's Soccer
THIS WEEK'S ACTION
#6 UC IRVINE ANTEATERS at
UC RIVERSIDE HIGHLANDERS
Wednesday, Oct. 12 - 7:00 PM
Riverside, Calif. - UCR Soccer Stadium
#6 UC IRVINE ANTEATERS at
#4 CREIGHTON BLUE JAYS
Saturday, Oct. 15 - 5:30 PM
Omaha, Neb. - Morrison Stadium
UC Irvine (11-2-0, 3-1-0) looks to strengthen their Big West profile with a trip to play the Highlanders followed by an opportunity to make a national statement in Omaha.
SAVINGS ACCOUNT: Andrew Fontein (Las Vegas, Nev. / Sierra Vista HS) is finding his groove. In his last six games he's given up four goals: two against No. 12 USF, one off a penalty kick by Cal Poly, and another from a fluke deflection by his own player. He's been on fire of late and that includes an 11-save performance. Eleven set the new career high for the senior in his first match with double-digit saves. He now has 207 in his career placing him fourth among Anteaters. His start against CSUF was his 63rd all-time setting a record for UCI keepers to go with his 6,023 minutes played. He is still in the running for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award that goes through mid-November. Fans can vote on seniorCLASSaward.com.
THE THREE AMIGOS: UCI has had the fortune of riches on offense. Seniors Miguel Ibarra (Lancaster / Taft College) and Christian Hernandez (Palmdale / Taft College) have teamed up with sophomore Enrique Cardenas (Coachella / Coachella Valley HS) to record over half of the team's scoring. They have kept up with each other in almost every stat. Each have five goals, Ibarra has the edge in assists with five, while Hernandez follows with four, and his 38 shots and three game-winning goals are the highs among the three. Cardenas has kept up with each posting three assists, 36 shots, and 18 of them on goal. The combo's near-identical totals have fueled their offensive attack.
AND IN THIS CORNER…: UCI had something very rare happen in their Saturday match against CSUN: they didn't have a corner kick. Since 2000, that has happened only one other time in a 2-2 tie to UC Santa Barbara on Oct. 14, 2005. The 'Eaters came out on the winning end this time, 2-0, over CSUN.
UC RIVERSIDE HIGHLANDERS: The Highlanders looked to be on the upswing with a six-match unbeaten streak that finished with a huge upset of No. 7 UCSB. UCR dropped its last two Big West matches, however, to bring them back down to Earth with a 6-4-1 record.
Cesar Diaz Pizarro has produced offensively with five goals to lead the team, two game-winners, and two assists. The rest of the team has seen 10 players score a goal and 11 provide an assist.
Keeper Cody Suppe has won six of his 11 matches saving 50 shots and posting three shutouts.
CREIGHTON BLUE JAYS: The much-heralded Creighton Blue Jays are off to a stellar start to their 2011 season. At 10-1, they have mowed down most of their competition being ranked as high as second. Keeper Brian Holt shutout his first nine opponents. The only loss came to No. 3 Maryland, 1-0, and along with a 2-1 OT win over Wisconsin are the only two goals they have allowed.
Ethan Finlay leads the Blue Jays with six goals, five assists, 17 points, and three game-winning goals. Bruno Castro (3 G, 4 A) has also been a force while Greg Jordan and Andrew Ribeiro have made their shots count. Jordan has put four shots on net scoring three times, while Ribeiro has two goals, both game-winners.
Home matches at Morrison Stadium in Omaha are no stranger to big games as their attendance for 2011 has ranged from 2,525 to 5,425 fans.
HOW WE MATCH UP: The interesting note that comes from both of these squads is that fact they are a combined 9-0-1 on their home turf this season.
Creighton is 5-0-0 and hasn't allowed a goal. The common opponent is Wisconsin where each school was able to best them in overtime. UCI and Creighton have never met, but this is UCI's second trip to Omaha this season. The men defeated the University of Nebraska-Omaha, 4-0, in their inaugural home match.
The Anteaters and Highlanders have faced off before with UCI ahead, 13-4-3, all-time. The 'Eaters won both matches last season and have won the last six matches outscoring UCR, 17-6. Since 2005, UCI is 10-1-1 against UCR. At Riverside, UCI is 5-3-1.
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