Box Score IRVINE, Calif. --- The Anteaters scored the ultimate form of revenge Saturday night in the mountains of Provo, Utah striking with 31 seconds left in the match to defeat sixth-ranked BYU, 1-0.
Zoya Farzaneh settled a ball and headed upfield feeding a marvelous through ball to the bloodied and bruised Natalia Ledezma. With the seconds ticking away and the keeper approaching, Ledezma shoveled a shot to the left of Cougar keeper Erica Owens and into the back of the net to put the 'Eaters up 1-0 after a long, hard-fought match.
UCI (4-3-0) did something that only the national champion of the soccer world had been able to do in the last two years: beat the Cougars. After an overtime tussle at Anteater Stadium to open the 2012 season, UC Irvine had one thing in mind on its visit to South Field in Provo, and it accomplished that in front of 4,672 fans and a whole cast of viewers watching on BYUtv.
Ledezma's goal put her at a team lead with three on the year along with two game-winners. Farzaneh notched her second assist of the season while Jenn Randazzo was magnificent in net stopping three shots and earning her second shutout of 2013.
Ledezma was involved with most every aspect of the match. In the early stages of the match, she took an inadvertent elbow causing a cut above her nose to open. She hung tough and returned to the match minutes later. She went hard in to challenge the keeper in the 53rd minute earning her a yellow card, all culminating in a brilliant effort in the 90th minute for the game-winner.
The sixth-ranked Cougars are the highest-ranked opponent UCI has beaten in program history overtaking the 11th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies the 'Eaters beat early in 2011 which was also a road game.
The match itself was a very back-and-forth affair. Both squads had eight shots total and possession seemed even throughout. Even as the 'Eaters began to push late in the match, BYU (4-1-1) forced the issue late with some tension-filled scoring opportunities.
UC Irvine will return to the southland for a final road match at LMU, Fri. Sept. 20, before returning to Anteater Stadium on Sun. Sept. 22 for a match with Pac-12 foe Washington State.
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