THIS WEEK'S MATCHES

UC Irvine Anteaters vs. Cincinnati Bearcats
Date / Time: Fri. Sept. 7, 2012 / 3:30 PM
Site: CIBER Field / Denver, Colo.
Live Stats: ucirvinesports.com
Twitter Updates: @UCIAthletics / #WSOC

 

UC Irvine Anteaters vs. Denver Pioneers
Date / Time: Sun. Sept. 9, 2012 / 12:15 PM
Site: CIBER Field / Denver, Colo.
Live Stats: ucirvinesports.com
Twitter Updates: @UCIAthletics / #WSOC

 

STORY LINES

• In non-conference matches away from home, UCI was 5-1-1 in 2011 and 9-1-3 over the last two seasons.
• UCI is 2-0-0 in its only matches against Big East schools with wins over Louisville (2000) and Pitt (1997).
• UCI last faced Denver in 1987 defeating them 2-1 on a neutral site.
• This is Denver's first season as a member of the WAC.
• Denver is 3-1-1 this season. Its only loss came to Colorado College. The Pioneers are 2-1-1 in the state of Colorado.
• Cincinnati is also 3-1-1 with its only loss coming to Nebraska. UCI is the only school from the Pacific time zone that the Bearcats will face this season.

ON THE HORIZON

• UCI plays its next nine matches on the road. It will go 39 days without a match at Anteater Stadium which includes the entire month of September. It is currently 1-1-0 on that trip.
• There are currently five ranked schools on UCI's ledger: No. 5 Pepperdine, 11 Long Beach State, No. 17 Texas A&M, No. 21 Oregon State, and No. 25 San Diego State.
• 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.

 

• MINUTES WATCH - UCI currently has three players to have reached the 500-minute plateau: keeper Jenn Randazzo with 517 and defenders Haley O'Brien and Zoya Farzaneh who have logged all 548 minutes.
• RANK AND FILE - UCI has taken an uncharted course through its first six matches. The Anteaters have two wins against ranked opponents while three of their four losses have come against unranked competition.
• TREACHEROUS TERRAIN - The Anteaters head into the thin air of the Rockies for a pair of games.

NUMEROLOGY

• UCI's defeat of No. 21 Oregon State was the fifth win over a ranked, non-conference opponent in the last three years joining No. 21 Auburn last week, 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.
• 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.
• UCI is 5-2-2 all-time on Sept. 7th and won its only neutral-site match.
• UCI has never won on the road on Sept. 9th (0-3-0) and is 2-3-2 overall.

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

• UCI alums Danielle de Seriere and CoCo Goodson both play for FC Twente, a soccer club stationed in the Netherlands.
• FC Twente is currently 1-0-1 after a 1-1 draw with PSV/FC Eindhoven. They clash with Ajax at home on Sept. 7th.
• 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.