Gor, No. 12 Anteaters Shut Down Blackbirds
August 31, 2012 | Men's Soccer
IRVINE, Calif. --- The 12th-ranked Anteaters sent a message in their first home match of the year with a 2-0 victory over the visiting Blackbirds of LIU Brooklyn in the nightcap Friday night of day one of the UCI Invitational at Anteater Stadium.
Junior transfer Gor Kirakosyan stole the show with both Anteater goals on the night giving him three on the season. He connected in the 19th minute after Enrique Cardenas rushed the net and fed a perfect pass to Kirakosyan on the doorstep.
Kirakosyan did it himself early in the second half. Dennis Martinez settled a cleared ball and threaded it through to Kirakosyan. He would bear down on the goal and take it all the way himself, and his shot would trickle through Blackbird keeper, Nathan Stockie to increase the lead to two in the 51st minute.
Kirakosyan was lifted seconds later after a hard foul on Blackbird Tanner Sica caught Kirakosyan on the shin. Sica was given a yellow card, one of three on the night for LIU Brooklyn (0-3-0), and Kirakosyan sat for the remainder of the match.
UCI (2-0-0) would be fine without him though as the offense held the ball for the majority of the match. The 'Eaters sent 16 of their 24 shots on target as Nathan Stockie weathered the barrage saving 12 of them. He got plenty of help from his defense as well as two times defender stood tall and flicked away shots before they got to the goal line.
On the other side of the ball, the UCI defense continued to excel. The Blackbirds managed just three shots. Michael Breslin earned his second shutout in as many matches while saving a pair, both coming in the second half.
Cardenas and Martinez would earn assists on the Kirakosyan goals. It was the first points of the season for each, and for Martinez his first of his career.
The Anteaters wrap up the UCI Invitational on Sunday, Sept. 2nd with a 4:30 p.m. match against the Titans of Detroit. The Titans fell earlier in the day, 2-1, to UC Riverside. UCR will face LIU Brooklyn on Sunday in a 2:00 p.m. match.
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