UPCOMING MATCHES

Big West Conference Tournament

First Round
(N3) Sacramento State Hornets at (S2) UC Irvine Anteaters
Saturday, November 8, 2014 - 7:00 PM
Anteater Stadium
Live Stats

Semifinal (if necessary)
First round winner at (N1) UC Santa Barbara
Wednesday, November 12, 2014 - 7:00 PM
Santa Barbara, Calif.
Live Stats

Final (if necessary)
Saturday, November 15, 2014 - TBD
Location: TBD
Live Stats

IRVINE, Calif. --- No. 18 UC Irvine returns to the Big West Tournament, a place where it has had much success in recent years, with a Saturday, first-round showdown with Sacramento State.

For UCI, its the sixth Big West Tournament berth in the last seven years. In its previous five appearances, the Anteaters have taken home the crown four times and hold an overall record of 8-1 in tournament matches.

The 'Eaters come in as the No. 2-seed in the Big West South with a 4-5-1 conference record. Overall, UCI stands at 12-5-2, and recently earned nine spots on the All-Big West squad.

UCI and Sac State met in Anteater Stadium back on nearly one month ago, October 11, resulting in a 2-0 Anteater victory. They meet again on Saturday, Nov. 8, in Anteater Stadium with seasons on the line.

The Hornets came on late in the year going 2-1-1 down the final stretch to leap into the No. 3 spot in the Big West North with an identical 4-5-1 Big West record while going 6-10-3 overall.

All-time, the 'Eaters are 8-5-2 against the Hornets while the Sac State is making its first conference tournament appearance since 2011 when it was a member of the MPSF.

The Hornets are led by head coach Michael Linenberger who was recently named Big West Coach of the Year. They had three members on the All-Big West squad including first-teamer Chimdum Mez and honorable mention players Andrew Gosselin and Paul Geyer.

Should the Anteaters advance, its semifinal match will be a trip to UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday, Nov. 12, for redemption from its first loss of the season in early October. The Big West Final will conclude on Saturday, Nov. 15, with the location yet to be determined.

There is a possibility of the final landing in Anteater Stadium only if the other remaining No. 3-seed, Cal State Fullerton, should arise from the other side of the bracket.

For tickets to Saturday's match, visit the men's soccer ticket page. Fans should also be advised of the basketball doubleheader on Saturday with the women's game starting at 4:00 p.m. and the men's game following it at 7:00 p.m. This could lead to additional traffic and impacted parking in the Mesa Parking Structure so fans are advised to plan accordingly.