THIS WEEK'S MATCHES
UC Irvine Anteaters at Cal State Fullerton Titans
Date / Time: Fri. Sept. 28, 2012 / 5:00 PM
Site: Fullerton, Calif. / Titan Soccer Field
Live Stats / Video: ucirvinesports.com
Twitter Updates: @UCIAthletics / #WSOC
UC Irvine Anteaters at UC Riverside Highlanders
Date / Time: Sun. Sept. 30, 2012 / 6:00 PM
Site: Riverside, Calif. / UCR Soccer Stadium
Live Stats: ucirvinesports.com
Twitter Updates: @UCIAthletics / #WSOC
FREE KICKS
- UCI begins conference play in pursuit of its third straight Big West regular season title.
- UCI has had its only three-point scorers of the season in each of its last two matches in Natalia Ledezma (at SDSU) and Jordan Utvich (vs. Princeton).
- UCI has not committed more than 10 fouls in a match in 2012. It committed exactly 10 fouls against Cincinnati, Auburn, and Texas A&M.
- CSUF (50), UCR (49), and UCI (47) are the top three in the Big West in corner kicks.
- UC Riverside is the only Big West school that has yet to shutout an opponent in 2012.
FAR POST
- UCI finishes up its nine-game road trip. It will go 39 days without a match at Anteater Stadium which includes the entire month of September. It is currently 3-4-0 on that trip.
- There are currently six ranked schools on UCI's ledger: No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 12 BYU, No. 17 San Diego State, No. 20 Pepperdine, No. 22 Long Beach State, and No. 24 Oregon State. Cal State Northridge is also receiving votes.
- 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).
THROW-INS
- Natalia Ledezma, Dana Sanderlin, and Mady Solow were named to the Denver U Invitational All-Tournament Team.
- UC Irvine led the Big West Conference in average home attendance in 2011 at 694. UCI is averaging 515 in four home matches in 2012.
- 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.
STOPPAGE TIME
- MINUTES WATCH - Haley O'Brien continues to lead the squad with 982 minutes played and is joined by Zoya Farzaneh (955) and Mady Solow (915) in the 900-club.
- END OF THE ROAD - UCI ends its month-long road tripthis weekend with visits to CSUF and UCR. UCI has just three road matches after this weekend which all come within an eight-day stretch.
- YELLOW FEVER - The Anteaters have earned just three yellow cards keeping them near the bottom of the list in the conference. Coach Juniper has two on the season now to lead all 'Eaters and Big West coaches.
ATTACKING IN NUMBERS
- UCI has defeated five ranked opponents in the last three seasons. In 2012, UCI has taken down No. 21 Oregon State and No. 21 Auburn. In addition, they've marked wins over No. 11 Texas A&M and No. 25 Portland in 2011, and No. 17 San Diego in 2010.
- 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.
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.
- Junior Natalia Ledezma and sophomore Cami Privett were voted to the Big West Preseason All-Conference Team.
- Natalia Ledezma was ranked 84th among the Top 100 college players to watch according to @TopDrawerSoccer.
SOCCER AT THE NEXT LEVEL
- UCI alums Danielle de Seriere and CoCo Goodson both play for FC Twente, a soccer club stationed in the Netherlands.
- FC Twente is currently 3-0-1 after a 1-0 win over Telstar VVNH. Goodson scored her first goal, the game-winner in the 79th minute, in a 2-1 win over Ajax earlier in the month. She has started all four matches at center back.
- 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.
REMEMBER THE TITANS
- Head Coach Demian Brown enters his sixth season at Cal State Fullerton after five years as an assistant for the UCI men.
- The Titans are 3-6-0 to this point which includes a 2-1 loss at the No. 1 Florida State Seminoles.
- CSUF has just one win (at Michigan) in four road matches.
- CSUF finished tied for fifth place in the Big West in 2011 while going 9-8-3 overall.
- The Titans have scored in all nine matches in 2011. All three wins have been shutouts.
- CSUF and UCI have two common opponents, LMU and Oregon State. The Titans lost each of those matches 2-1.
- Ann Marie Tangorra leads CSUF with five goals and two game-winners.
- Christina Burkenroad and Stacey Fox have each added three goals of their own.
- Erica Mazeau has yet to score, but leads the team with five assists.
- Lindsey Maricic and Katie Pulliam have split time in net. Maricic is 2-2 allowing four goals while stopping 13 shots. Pulliam is 1-4 allowing nine goals while stopping 21 shots.
HIGHLANDER LANDSCAPE
- Head Coach Nat Gonzalez is in an interim role this season having come over from the UCR men's side as an assistant.
- UCR is 5-4-2 in 2012 after finishing 2011 at 8-9-2.
- The Highlanders have a 2-1-1 record away from home this season including a draw with Fresno State.
- Celina Valencia and Crystal Lopez each have three goals to lead the team. Valencia holds the points lead with eight.
- The Highlanders have five game-winners from five different players.
- Thirteen different Highlanders have a point on the season compared to 10 Anteaters.
- Jessica White has played all 1,049:47 minutes in net for the Highlanders allowing 15 goals and recording 54 saves.
