SWEETER 'EATERS
- The Anteaters reached the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time and reached the Sweet Sixteen for the second time joining the 2008 squad
- UC Irvine brought home its fourth Big West Tournament title and fourth Big West regular season title.
- Seniors Marco Franco and Enrique Cardenas were named All-Americans totalling five for the program in its history. Franco also received Big West Defender of the Year honors and was draft 13th overall by the Chicago Fire in the MLS SuperDraft. Cardenas took home Big West Midfielder of the Year honors.
- The 'Eaters won 15 matches, second-most in a season by the program, and it included five wins against ranked opponents such as top-ranked UCLA and the 16th-ranked Louisville Cardinals on their homefield.
FINAL NUMBERS
Overall record: 15-5-3
Home record: 9-2-1
Away record: 6-3-2
Non-conference record: 6-3-2
Big West record: 7-2-1 (Big West South champions)
Postseason record: 3-1-0
vs. Ranked schools: 5-1-0
One-goal matches: 10-3
Leading at the half: 7-1-1
Trailing at the half: 1-1-1
GOAL SCORING
Scoring by minute
First Half
First 15' 5
Middle 15' 3
Last 15' 5
Second Half
First 15' 5
Middle 15' 4
Last 15' 12
First Overtime 0
Second Overtime 0
Goals off corners 3
Goals off free kicks 4
Penalty kick attempts 4-4
Kicked goals 27
Header goals 6
Inside the box 29
Outside the box 4
1v1 goals 6
SENIOR SHOUTOUTS
- The senior class finished with 50 wins, 28 losses, and 8 draws. That reign also included three Big West regular season titles, two Big West Tournament titles, and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances.
- Marco Franco brought home the program's third Big West Defender of the Year award. Enrique Cardenas added Midfielder of the Year, also the third in the program's history.
- Tarek Morad and Christopher Santana joined them on the All-Big West squad; for Morad, his first honor, while Santana collected his second.
- Each senior reached the 20-games played mark with Franco and Morad starting all 23 and posting over 2,000 minutes. They join four other Anteaters to start all 23 matches tying a single-season mark set by six other 'Eaters in the 2008 and 2011 seasons.
- Together, they accounted for 14 goals, seven game-winners, and 11 assists.
- Santana finishes his Anteater career with 78 matches played, tied for seventh-most in program history. Franco trails closely behind with 76 matches, tied for ninth-most.
- Cardenas' four game-winning goals on the season tied him for the fifth-most in a year and gave him six on his career, tied with teammate Cameron Iwasa for 10th-most.
- Cardenas was also awarded with Big West Tournament MVP honors in addition to Top Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News Teams of the Week. He and Franco each captured Big West Player of the Week awards.
THIRD-YEAR THREATS
- UC Irvine was well-represented from its junior class, notably Cameron Iwasa who carried posted seven goals, three game-winners, and four assists earning him All-Big West recognition.
- Mitchell Alvarez added Big West Player of the Week honors.
- As a unit, the juniors scored over half of the team's goals with 17 and game-winners with eight in addition to 10 assists.
- Four players topped the 1,300-minute mark along with some crucial playing time from juniors such as Dennis Martinez and Joel vom Dorp.
KEEPING THE FAITH
- Redshirt-sophomore Michael Breslin stepped up in net playing all 2,148:23 minutes.
- He and the Anteater defense served up 10 shutouts and 15 wins, both second-most in a single season.
- He also posted the third-lowest single-season goals-against-average of 0.80 and the sixth-best winning percentage at .717.
- Breslin as inserted himself into quite a few career records:
Records Season All-Time
Wins 15 (2nd) 20 (5th)
Shutouts 10 (2nd) 13 (T-4th)
Win Percentage .717 (6th) .537 (6th)
Goals-Against-Average 0.80 (3rd) 1.16 (3rd)
Saves 58 138 (10th)
SOPHOMORE SENSATIONS
- In addition Breslin, five other 'Eater contributed in their second season, none more than Mats Bjurman who racked up over 2,000 minutes in the midfield and recorded both goals and five of the six assists from the class with the exception of Breslin's. Bjurman even earned Big West Offensive Player of the Week status in the final week of the regular season.
- Noah Gaines played well early as the only other sophomore with a start tallying five before succumbing to injury.
- Daniel Coates came up big getting his only action of the year as a sub in the NCAA Third Round match at No. 5 Maryland.
FRESHMAN FORCES
- UCI got an infusion of first-year talent throughout the season as seven freshmen saw the field. Michael Sperber earned Big West All-Freshman status with over 1,600 minutes played.
- Thomas Janjigian finished third on the squad with four assists and fourth with 2,046 minutes played after starting in all 23 matches on the season. He and Sperber accounted for all five points from the freshmen, all of them assists.
- True freshmen Andy Mendoza, Leo Klink, and Randall McDermott were involved more and more down the stretch of the season playing in 16, 12, and nine matches, respectively.
ADDITIONAL BOOKINGS
19 - UC Irvine allowed 19 goals on the season, the only Big West school to allow under 20, while playing the most matches (23) amongst Big West schools
5 - The 'Eaters dropped 5 ranked teams on the season including CSUN three times, No. 16 Louisville on the road, and a UCLA squad that entered the postseason as the nation's No. 1 seed
0 - The 'Eaters finished undefeated (13-0-2) when scoring a second half goal. In addition, UCI scored 12 of its 33 goals in the final 15 minutes of matches
3 - UCI had gone almost two years without scoring a goal off a corner kick until it did it 3 times in the Big West Tournament
10-3 - The team went 10-3 in one-goal matches a year after going 2-11 in similar situations
380 - Keeper Michael Breslin had a span of 380 scoreless minutes that included both Big West Tournament
matches and both NCAA Tournament matches
1,000 - Cameron Iwasa's game-winning goal October 11 against Cal Poly was the 1,000th goal scored by UC Irvine soccer within Anteater Stadium
77 - The Anteaters allowed just 77 shots on goal, five fewer than the closest Big West program
SOCCER AT THE NEXT LEVEL
- Brad Evans has earned a spot on the U.S. National squad this year. He has made 16 total appearances including three World Cup qualifiers and 10 matches in total in 2013. He scored his first international goal in a WCQ against Jamaica, a game-winner in stoppage time.
- Evans is also the captain of the Seattle Sounders FC. He scored in the team's knockout round match to move them into the semifinals. Evans ranks in the top third in club history in matches played, starts, goals and assists. He scored in the Sounders' knockout round match against Colorado, and has four goals and a career-high five assists in 25 matches in 2013.
- Three 'Eaters represent in the North American Soccer League: Andrew Fontein and Amani Walker with the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Miguel Ibarra with Minnesota United FC. Ibarra started 28 matches contributing immensely along with a goal and two assists. Walker's season was cut short due to injury while Fontein has three starts in net in which he stopped 14 shots.
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