UPCOMING MATCHES
Game Notes
UC Riverside Highlanders at UC Irvine Anteaters
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
7:00 PM - Anteater Stadium
Live Stats Tickets Game Program
UC Irvine Anteaters at Cal State Fullerton Titans
Saturday, October 17, 2015
7:00 PM - Fullerton, Calif.
Live Stats Video
OVER AND OUT
UC Irvine brought the drama with a pair of Big West matches over the weekend that each went to overtime resulting in a pair of heartbreak losses for Coach Volk and the squad.
Thursday against Sacramento State, UCI got on the board first with an eight-minute goal from Jaime Phillips only to give it back in the ninth minute. Phillips and Mats Bjurman teamed up to snag the lead back in the 68th minute, but the Hornets knotted it back up in the 81st minute to send it to overtime and eventually finish it in the 98th minute and steal the 3-2 victory.
Saturday at UC Davis, the Aggies got the early lead on a 16th minute goal. Ivan Canales reached back to equalize in the 84th minute and once again send the match to overtime, but the 98th minute came calling again as the Aggies pumped home the winner, 2-1.
Each match had its chances for the Anteaters. Thursday night, they blasted 20 shots with 16 of them on target. Sac State keeper James Del Curto made 14 stops for the Hornets to preserve the win. UCI followed suit on Saturday firing eight of 13 shots on frame. The 24 shots on goal over the weekend on 33 total falls short only to the 28 shots on target the 2012 Anteaters put up in wins over LIU Brooklyn (16) and Detroit (12).
UCI was also haunted by a missed penalty kick on Saturday. UCD keeper Armando Quezada turned away Mats Bjurman's attempt in the 55th minute at the time preserving a 1-0 lead. UCI had converted its last seven PK attempts dating once again back to 2012 when Tarek Morad failed to convert in a 4-3 loss to UC Riverside.
"We have created many goal scoring opportunities over the past few games," Coach Volk reaffirmed. "Our players must demonstrate composure and confidence and be decisive in their technical execution. The goals will come."
Lost in the fray is senior Jaime Phillips' impressive run after serving up a goal and assist on Thursday and another assist Saturday. It gives him points in six straight matches, and he's had a hand in each of the 'Eaters' last five goals. Gerardo Gonzalez can claim and assist on four consecutive goals this season, while Eduardo Calzada has also participated on four consecutive goals for the Anteaters as part of his four-match scoring streak.
UCI also made a point to play in its third consecutive overtime match. The squad now has a pair of three-match overtime runs giving them seven total already this year.
There have been six instances where UCI has played three straight OT matches prior to 2015, one four-match run in 2007. No UC Irvine squad has made multiple three-overtime runs in a single season until now. The high for overtime matches in a season is nine also set by the 2007 'Eaters. This is the six season UCI has reached overtime at least seven times. The four overtime losses has happened just twice in a season. The 1992 and 2012 Anteaters each faltered five times in the extra period.
BORDER WAR
The first portion of conference play is behind us as the North and South each crossed over for four matches. The 2014 crossover matches went in the North's favor as they went 8-5-3 featuring 11 shutouts and the South actually outscoring the North, 17-16. When all was said and done, two South program met in the Big West Final. The 2015 edition saw the North win nine of 13 with three draws in the mix as well.
Coach Volk and the players know the real season starts with nothing decided yet. "All four teams in the South Division are within six points of each other. There are still 18 points to be earned. We must be prepared to battle in each of the remaining six games to earn a tournament seed."
HIGH AND TIGHT-ANS
Big West play crosses back over to divisional play with a pair of South match this week starting with at return to Anteater Stadium Wednesday night to host UC Riverside.
The Highlanders finished crossover play with a win over Sac State (3-1) and losses to UC Davis (2-0) and at UCSB (2-0) and Cal Poly (2-1). Non-conference play was dotted with losses at USD, Syracuse, and Santa Clara, but emphatic wins against San Francisco (3-0) and at UCLA (2-1, OT) leave the Highlanders at 5-7-1 overall. UCR won the Big West South in 2014 for the first time ever going 4-3-3 in Big West play after a dreadful 1-7-1 non-conference resume.
Since 2008, somebody has swept the season series in six of the seven seasons, UCI taking it four times (2008, 2009, 2010, 2013) and UCR twice, 2012 and against last year by a combined score of 5-1. The one split came in 2011 when each program won on the road and then met in the tournament with UCI claiming victory in the semifinal at home.
The Highlanders keep it pretty even scoring and allowing around 1.5 goals per match. They fall in the middle of nearly every Big West category except for corner kicks, earning just over three per match, and being called offside just 10 times all season. UCR also stands as the only school with more than two red cards besides the 'Eaters having picked up three to date.
The offense is sparked by seniors Norberto Ochoa (7 G, 1 A) and Michael Salazar (6 G, 3 A) who have each peppered at least 30 shots on the year.
Defensively, a stable of defenders and midfielders have been up to the task led by fourth-years Stephen Copley, Jonathan Tovar, and Eric Gonzalez. Senior keeper Ashkan Khosravi has been in and out stopping 31 shots in nine match with a 1.80 goals-against-average. Sophomore Vincent Morales has snagged two wins in four starts while stopping 20 shots.
Some locals return to Orange County including Newport Harbor HS grad Alan Alcantara along with Anaheim-native Dylan Smith who has seen action in 11 matches firing 12 shots as a freshman.
Following the match will be a trip to Cal State Fullerton on Saturday night. The long-standing rivalry is set to eclipse the mark as the most-played between UCI and an opponent when it returns to Anteater Stadium later in the month. Under Coach Volk's watch, UCI is 2-0-1 having not allowed a goal. The one draw was decided by penalty kicks in last year's Big West final falling the Titans' way.
The 2015 Titans lead the South charge with seven points against the North shutting out Sac State and UC Davis before drawing at Cal Poly and falling UCSB in overtime. Non-conference featured many up and downs with the noticeable results coming with losses at Ohio State, Utah Valley, and vs. USD.
The Titan offense fall amongst the middle of the pack across the board. They make their living on the defensive side leading the conference with seven shutouts while also allowing limited shots. They rank last in cautions despite sitting near the top in fouls.
The youth for CSUF drives the offense with sophomore Diego Sanchez putting up five goals and three assists to lead the team. Freshmen Brandon West and Ross McPhie also have a pair of goals each to go with the six different Titans to produce game-winners. Freshman Ronaldo Pineda actually leads the squad in shots despite one goal to show for it.
Defensively, freshman Carlos Troncoso has started every match for the Titans. Flanked by upperclassmen Zach Bryan, Colin Okirie, Mitchell Bell, and Ricardo Covarrubias, they formed a stout unit in front of junior keeper David Elias. The defense has allowed less than 10 shots per match, and all but four shots on goal per match.
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