Big West South March Begins Against UCR, CSUN
October 15, 2012 | Men's Soccer
THIS WEEK'S MATCHES
UC Irvine Anteaters at UC Riverside Highlanders
Date / Time: Wed. Oct. 17, 2012 / 7:00 PM
Site: Riverside, Calif. / UCR Soccer Stadium
Live Stats: ucirvinesports.com
Twitter Updates: @UCIAthletics / #MSOC
Cal State Northridge Matadors at UC Irvine Anteaters
Date / Time: Sat. Oct. 20, 2012 / 7:00 PM
Site: Irvine, Calif. / Anteater Stadium
Live Stats: ucirvinesports.com
Twitter Updates: @UCIAthletics / #MSOC
FREE KICKS
- UC Irvine has won the Big West regular season title each of the last two seasons. It also has three Big West Tournament titles in the last four years including a 2011 win over UC Santa Barbara in double overtime.
- The 2012 scoring breakdown has seen eight goals from sophomores, seven from juniors, and three from freshmen.
- UCI is the only Big West school to average less than 13 fouls committed per match.
- UCI has won four straight at UC Riverside outscoring the Highlanders 12-4. They have not played an overtime match since 2007.
FAR POST
- The Anteaters play 10 regular season non-conference matches: seven on the road, five outside California, and three against 2011 College Cup participants (UCLA, New Mexico, and Louisville). They are currently 3-5-1 in non-conference.
- In UCI matches this season, 71% of the goals scored have come after halftime. UCI has scored 15 of 19 goals in the second half.
THROW-INS
- The Big West Conference has been split into the North and South Divisions with the addition of its eighth member, Sacramento State, in 2012. The top two teams in each division will make the Big West Tournament.
- Everett Pitts has been named a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award. Andrew Fontein was a finalist in 2011.
- Gor Kirakosyan earned Big West Offensive Player of the Week honors on September 3rd.
- Redshirt freshman keeper Michael Breslin ranks second among Big West keepers with 61 saves.
- Freshman midfielder Matthew Tilley was recently named to the Freshman Top 100 according to @TopDrawerSoccer coming in at No. 75. on the list.
ATTACKING IN NUMBERS
- UCI was the only Big West school with two players (Miguel Ibarra, Christian Hernandez) to compile 24+ points in 2011.
- UCI keeper Andrew Fontein played all 2,160 minutes in net for UCI. Only five keepers played more minutes in 2011 than Fontein; all of them reached the Elite Eight and none of them played every one of their school's minutes.
IN THE BOX
- GLASS HALF FULL: Five of UCI's final six matches come against Big West South schools. The Anteaters are currently tied for second with the top two in the Big West South advancing to the Big West Tournament.
- LONE RANGER: Sophomore Cameron Iwasa remains theonly Anteater to appear (and start) in every match this season. He has played in 1,260 of the 1,341 total minutes in 2012.
- CROWD PLEASERS: UCI is averaging 2,255 fans on the road to lead all Big West schools. Its 702 home average is fourth in the Big West, while its overall average of 1,406 trails just UCSB. October 5th, UCI and UCSB played to the largest crowd in the nation thus far of 7,822 fans.
PRESEASON
- UC Irvine began the season with its highest ever ranking in the NSCAA/Continental Tire Preseason rankings at 13th in the nation.
- UC Irvine found its way onto the College Soccer News' (15th) and TopDrawerSoccer.com's (13th) preseason rankings.
- The 'Eaters were picked to finish first in the Big West South Division receiving six of eight first-place votes
- Senior defender Everett Pitts and junior midfielder Christopher Santana represented UCI on the Preseason All-Big West squad.
SOCCER AT THE NEXT LEVEL
- Brad Evans and the Seattle Sounders FC are currently 14-7-10 and have clinched a playoff berth. Evans has two goals and four assists in 26 starts with the Sounders.
- Evans ranks sixth all-time with 102 games played, sixth in goals (15), and fourth in assists (16).
- Two Anteaters were drafted in the 2011 MLS Supplemental draft. Miguel Ibarra went in the second round to the Portland Timbers with Andrew Fontein following in the third round to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
- Ibarra has accrued four goals and four assist playing alongside Amani Walker with the Minnesota Stars FC of the NASL to compliment Walker's eight goals and five assists while Fontein is currently with the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
- The Stars and Rowdies will face each other in the NASL finals. The finals are two legs beginning Sat. Oct. 20th and finishing Sat. Oct. 27th.
HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS
- Head Coach Junior Gonzalez is in his eighth season at UC Riverside.
- UCR comes in at 8-5-0, 1-4-0 in the Big West. It has dropped five of its last six after winning its first seven reaching its peak as the 24th-ranked team in the nation.
- UC Riverside's 2011 season ended in the Big West semifinals at the hands of UCI with a record of 9-6-4.
- Freshman Ashkan Khosravi has been huge in net stopping 46 shots and had a hand in five Highlander shutouts.
- Aaron Long and Ruben Valencia lead the squad with four goals each.
- Ivan Garcia and Otis Earle have each accumulated eight points as well.
CSUN RISING
- Head Coach Terry Davila enters his 14th season with the Matadors.
- CSUN is 10-4-0, 4-1-0 in Big West play; its first 10-win season since 2009.
- Sagi Lev-Ari has been a revelation for CSUN with 10 goals to lead the Big West while Edwin Rivas and Beto Velasquez have added six goals each
- Carlos Benavides leads all Matadors with seven assists.
- Michael Abalos has allowed just 10 goals in 13 matches with a hand in six shutouts.
- CSUN leads the conference in every major offensive and defensive category except saves and corner kicks.
- Lev-Ari, Rivas, and Benavides have combined to lead every offensive Big West category.
- CSUN has outscored opponents 13-2 in its last nine matches.
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Players Mentioned
Goalkeeper
/ Men's SoccerGoalkeeper
/ Men's SoccerForward/Midfielder
/ Men's SoccerForward/Midfielder
/ Men's SoccerForward
/ Men's SoccerMidfielder
/ Men's SoccerDefender
/ Men's SoccerForward
/ Men's SoccerDefender
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