Balanced Anteater Attack Shuts Down Cal Poly, 2-0
October 11, 2013 | Men's Soccer
IRVINE, Calif. --- Cal Poly entered the match with 32 goals on the season, the NCAA leader, however the UCI defense was up to the task scoring a pair of their own Friday night in Anteater Stadium while also thwarting the Mustang game plan with the 2-0, Big West victory.
Cal Poly (8-5-0), 1-2-0) actually came out of the gate on the offensive. Big West scoring leader Mackenzie Pridham and his teammates crashed the Anteater net with some early shots testing keeper Michael Breslin who came away with two early saves.
UC Irvine (7-3-2, 2-1-0) countered swiftly earning a foul in the offensive third. Mats Bjurman's 30-yard free kick sliced into the box and skipped off Cameron Iwasa's head and inside the left post to break the ice in the seventh minute and give the Anteaters the 1-0 lead.
The Mustangs stayed diligent throughout the first half honing in on the Anteater goal. Pridham peppered the goal a few more times as did Steve Palacios and Matt LaGrassa. Breslin stopped a total of five shots in the first half as the Mustangs held the advantage, 10-5, despite trailing 1-0.
The second half was a bit of a chess match, especially after UCI extended the lead in the 51st minute. A long punt from Thomas Janjigian fell to Lester Hayes III. He played it out wide to Enrique Cardenas who beat a defender and streaked up the right wing. The senior slid a pass onto a wide-open Mitchell Alvarez in the box who would finish into the right side of the net and make it a 2-0 lead.
UCI's defense completed the clean sheet allowing just two second-half shots from the Mustangs while also having a few more scoring opportunities on the offensive end.
The win keeps UC Irvine trending upward in the Big West standings with a 2-1 record. Iwasa's goal proved to be the game-winner, his second of the season, each coming in the last two matches. Cardenas regained the team lead with 14 points on his assist. Hayes III and Bjurman each recorded their first assists of the season, while Alvarez, along with his luxurious beard, was able to bury his first career goal as an Anteater.
Anteater keeper Michael Breslin notched his highest save total on the season with six while recording his Big West-leading fifth shutout. He and Mustang keeper Wade Hamilton each finished with six saves on the evening.
The Anteaters' weekend continues Sunday with another perennial power in UC Santa Barbara. Fresh off an upset victory over No. 4 Cal State Northridge, the Gauchos will visit Anteater Stadium Sun. Oct. 13 for a 4:00 p.m. match that begins immediately following the 1:00 p.m. women's soccer match.
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