Anteaters Homestand Continues with LMU, Auburn

Loyola Marymount Lions at UC Irvine Anteaters
Date / Time: Fri., Aug. 24, 2012 / 6:00 PM
Site: Irvine, Calif. / Anteater Stadium (2,500)
Live Stats: ucirvinesports.com
Twitter Updates: @UCIAthletics / #WSOC

 

#21 Auburn Tigers at UC Irvine Anteaters
Date / Time: Sun., Aug. 26, 2012 / 3:00 PM
Site: Irvine, Calif. / Anteater Stadium (2,500)
Live Stats: ucirvinesports.com
Twitter Updates: @UCIAthletics / #WSOC

 

STORY LINES

  • The Anteaters are 2-3-0 in its last six non-conference regular season home matches.
  • UCI is 2-2-2 in its last six matches against he WCC.
  • LMU is now home to former UCI assistant coach Wendi Whitman, now LMU's associate head coach.
  • LMU won and hosted the last match between schools, 3-1, on Sept. 5th, 2008.
  • LMU has opened with three Big West schools: 2-1 exhibition win over CSUN, a 3-1 loss to Cal Poly, and a 2-1 overtime win over CSUF, all at home.
  • Raylean Robles played in the last match between UCI and LMU. Her sister, Clarissa, is on the 'Eaters this time around.
  • UCI has faced Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa once before when she was the head coach of Central Florida in 1997. UCI won the match, 1-0.
  • Auburn scored multiple times in 16 of 24 matches in 2011.
  • The only other Big West school Auburn has faced is Cal State Fullerton going 1-1 in matches with them in 2005 and 2010. UCI is the only Big West school Auburn will play on Big West home soil.
  • Only two of Auburn's seven non-conference matches will be on the road: UC Irvine and Pepperdine

ON THE HORIZON

  • Two UCI matches, 8/20 vs. Texas A&M and 8/26 vs. Auburn, will be broadcast over visiting team radio
  • UC Irvine will take on a pair of SEC schools in its other two home matches in Texas A&M and Auburn. UCI is now 1-1 against the SEC losing 2-1 to Texas A&M at home and winning 2-0 over Mississippi State in 2011 on a neutral site.
  • UCI will play four home matches in the first nine days. It follows that up with zero home matches over 39 days.
  • UC Irvine will not play at Anteater Stadium in the month of September, part of a nine match road trip.
  • The nine matches consist of six road matches, three neutral-site matches, two matches in Colorado, and one against a ranked squad.
  • There are four schools ranked in the preseason poll on UCI's ledger: No. 9 Pepperdine, No. 12 Texas A&M, No. 15 Long Beach State, and No. 21 Auburn.
  • UCI will face five MAC Hermann Watch List players: Chelsea Buckland (Oregon State), Nadia Link (LBSU), Lindsi Cutshall (BYU), Kelley Monogue (Texas A&M), and Michelle Pao (Pepperdine).

QUICK HITS

  • UC Irvine led the Big West Conference in average home attendance in 2011 at 694.
  • UCI finished second in the Big West in goals-per-game (1.86) and goals-against-average (0.92)
  • UCI was the only Big West school in 2011 to have two players, Natalia Ledezma and Lexi Kopf, record 10+ goals.
  • UC Irvine was held scoreless twice in 2011, the lowest total of any Big West school.

WHAT WE LEARNED

  • THEY CAN SCORE - UCI has never had a shortage of scoring, and this year, the goals are coming from all over. Jordan Utvich and Rachel Wood scored their first career UCI goals, while Zuri Walker scored her first since 2010.
  • DON'T LEAVE EARLY - UCI has made it a habit of scoring late — and we mean late. Two goals have come in the last minute of a half, and the final minute of the Texas A&M match proved that UCI is never out of a match.
  • JUDY WOULD BE PROUD - One of the pressing issues was who would replace the four years of physicality that Judy Christopher brought to the midfield. The physical play has been ramped up thanks to Jordan Utvich, Mady Solow, and Jenna Pellegrino's team effort in the midfield.
  • RANDAZZO IS BACK FOR MORE - Despite coming up short on the win column, Jenn Randazzo has shown there would be no sophomore slump. Five key saves against Texas A&M plus a spectacular 1-v-1 save against BYU is evidence that her best is still ahead of her.

NUMEROLOGY

  • Natalia Ledezma and Lexi Kopf each earned a hat trick last season. The program had just two hat tricks prior to that in its existence.
  • UCI's offense had a stretch of 12 straight matches with a goal scored in 2011. UCI also went 16 straight in 2009 and 20 straight matches to start the 2010 season.

PRESEASON

  • The Anteaters were picked to finish second in the Big West behind Long Beach State. LBSU earned eight of nine first-place votes with UCI earning the ninth.
  • Natalia Ledezma and sophomore Cami Privett were voted to the Big West Preseason All-Conference Team.
  • Natalia Ledezma was #84 on the top-100 college players to watch according to @TopDrawerSoccer.

SOCCER AT THE NEXT LEVEL

  • Former 'Eater keeper Danielle de Seriere returns for her second season with Dutch soccer club FC Twente. She played just one match in 2011 which ended in a draw before succumbing to injury.
  • CoCo Goodson joins de Seriere on FC Twente in 2012. The two begin play Aug. 17th with the high-powered preseason FC Twente Tournament before the season gets underway, Aug. 24th, against fellow Dutch club, FC Utrecht.
  • Rachel Flemming, a 2008 alum, started her first season as a defender for LA Strikers FC.
  • Anteater alums Judy Christopher and Sarah Devine are together on the San Diego SeaLions of the WPSL who went 5-1-0 before falling in the regional final.
THE MANE EVENT
  • Head Coach Michelle Myers begins her first year as head coach after 15 years as LMU's assistant.
  • LMU has made the NCAA Tournament twice in 19 years ('02, '06).
  • At 7-10-3, 2011 was LMU's first losing season since 2005.
  • Freshman Madison Heilmann leads the team with three points including the OT game-winner vs. CSUF.
  • Of LMU's 29 players, 13 come from out-of-state which includes 10 different states and England.
RED-HOT AUBURN
  • Head Coach Karen Hoppa has 215 career wins, 151 in her 13 years at Auburn.
  • Auburn has made the NCAA Tournament 10 of the last 11 years (2005). In 2011, Auburn fell to Maryland in the second round.
  • The Tigers finished 2011 at 15-7-2, tied for most wins in program history, and won its first SEC Tournament title.
  • Tori Ball and Mary Coffed have two goals each to lead the team; each scored four times in 2011.
  • Auburn has wins over High Point (4-1) and Georgia State (1-0), outshooting them 62-6.
  • Auburn claims three California players including Ashley Kotero from Coto de Caza.

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