UPCOMING OPPONENTS
Game Notes
Grand Canyon Antelopes at UC Irvine Anteaters
Friday, September 2, 2016 - 7:30 PM
Anteater Stadium - Irvine, Calif.
Live Stats | Tickets | Program
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles at UC Irvine Anteaters
Sunday, September 4, 2016 - 1:30 PM
Anteater Stadium - Irvine, Calif.
Live Stats | Tickets | Program
Broadcast Information
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MIDWEST MISERY
UC Irvine struggled in its opening weekend losing each match of the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament.
The opener against No. 9 Notre Dame was even until the 26th minute when an errant pass found its way to an Irish player and in. Senior keeper Elliot Farmer kept UND down to its one-goal advantage at the half, but three second-half strikes including a 62nd-minute penalty downed the Anteaters, 4-0.
No. 15 Indiana came in on a warm, Sunday afternoon. The squads were even again until the 22nd minute as the Hoosiers headed home a free kick. Once again, UCI trailed by one at the half, and this time it would equalize in the second half as Jose Ortiz wove and twirled placing a beautiful shot into the upper left corner to tie the match at 1-1 in the 64th minute.
The Hoosiers would take the match back with a goal in the 76th minute, and the final strike landed with eight seconds left in the match to pull IU ahead for the 3-1 victory.
The opening-day loss was the first for the Anteaters since 2004 when Navy and USD came into Anteater Stadium and defeated UCI to open things up.
In the 2000s, 2004 and 2016 are the only years UCI has lost its opener.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The 'Eaters got a lot of work out of their newest additions in both matches over the weekend as they continue to piece together the club in the early going.
Elliot Farmer got his shot in goal making a multitude of top-tier saves against the high-flying offenses stopping a total of 10 shots in two matches. In nine previous matches, he had a total of 18 saves to his name.
The starting lineup was infused with new faces including junior Christian Carrillo who got a start in each match. Giovanni Godoy got a start and three shots over the weekend, and fellow junior Alda Perez also cracked the starting lineup. Godoy added a team save to his resume helping keep Notre Dame out late in the match.
Four freshmen got their feet wet in collegiate debuts. Armon Ojuola started in the opener playing all 90 minutes as a center back. He subbed in on Sunday against Indiana.
Andrew Guerrero made his debut after a redshirt season in 2015 playing 19 minutes in the opener. He fired two shots with one on target to lead the club in that match.
Christian Gutierrez saw action in both matches playing a total of 35 minutes as a sub in each instance.
The loudest introduction belonged to Jose Ortiz, the younger brother of Mario Ortiz. He played over 45 minutes off the bench in each match, and deposited the team's lone goal on the weekend twisting and wrapping a shot up under the crossbar in the 64th minute against Indiana to momentarily tie the match. The goal and point were each the first of his career.
The team had a couple bumps arise that they needed to maneuver around. Senior midfielder Michael Sperber will be able to get back on the field this weekend after serving a two-game suspension for card accumulation in 2015.
Daniel Crisostomo was also limited in his action over the weekend having to sit out Friday night's match with a stomach ailment. He recovered in time for Sunday's match to get the start and put in 69 minutes for the club.
ANT-ALYTICS
The 'Eaters are never one to take the low road to get anywhere, and showed that with two top-tier opponents in the opening weekend.
The 2015 Anteaters only matched up with one ranked opponent in No. 3 Creighton, but prior to that went 4-1-1 against ranked foes during the 2014 season.
Its opening-weekend opponents, Notre Dame and Indiana, each got a sizable boost in the rankings with the Irish jumping from No. 9 to No. 4, and Indiana jumped even higher fitting right in behind UND at No. 5 after sitting at No. 15 against the 'Eaters
The only other ranked opponent currently getting any votes is Big West rival UC Santa Barbara at No. 10 which the Anteaters will travel to early in October.
FRIENDLY CONFINES
The Anteaters get their first crack at Anteater Stadium here in 2016 with a pair of under-the-radar programs travelling west in Grand Canyon and Florida Gulf Coast.
The Antelopes got in just one match to open their season smashing Central Florida, 4-2, as they opened up their brand new stadium to 6,402 fans. Junior Khadim Seye scored two second half goals after GCU took a 2-0 lead in the first 15 minutes from sophomore Damian German and junior Niki Jackson
The 2015 'Lopes struggled to a 7-10 mark picking up wins against squads such as Portland and Sac State while falling to Cal State Fullerton, Bakersfield, and 2016 opener Central Florida. UCI and GCU have met just once back in 1993 with UC Irvine taking the 1-0 victory at home. All-time, the 'Eaters are 26-30-1 against WAC opponents and 17-14-1 at home with the most matchups against UNLV (24) and SJSU (21).
The 'Lopes are filled with talent including returners Niki Jackson and Damian German. Jackson brings with him eight goals from 2015 while German had two goals, but made an impact over the summer with six goals as part of PDL squad, FC Tucson. Freshman star Hector Montalvo brings a lot in as a member of the U.S. under-19 National Team and was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Freshman First Team.
Senior keeper Kendal Day stopped a pair of shots in the opener, but also allowed a pair to go by him. He stopped 72 shots in 2015 in his 16 starts posting a 2.08 goals-against-average in 1,421 minutes.
The 'Eaters will welcome Atlantic Sun side Florida Gulf Coast in on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. to begin a soccer doubleheader in Anteater Stadium. UCI and FGCU have also met only once as UCI finished up its trip to Florida in 2011 with a 2-1 victory against the Eagles. The only other A-Sun opponent UCI has met with is North Florida beating them twice at home in 2007 and 2008.
The 2015 Eagles fought to a 7-4-3 record and were ranked throughout much of the season reaching as high as No. 19 before falling in the conference tournament semifinals. FGCU has yet to win in 2016 falling to Northwestern on the road before drawing at home with Michigan. FGCU entered the season receiving votes in the NSCAA poll, but has since dropped out completely.
Junior Albert Ruiz has been a key player early on with a hand in all three goals scoring twice, both via PKs, and assisting on the other. Senior Dylan Sacramento has the third goal and leads all Eagles with 14 shots. FGCU has taken 52 shots in their first two matches with just 15 on target, and have also received seven cards.
Two different keepers split the opening matches with sophomore Sawyer Jackson, who lost against NW, and freshman Jared Brown, picking up the draw with UM, each allowing two goals while grabbing three saves.
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