FIRST TOUCHES
13 - Giovanni Godoy has lit up in conference play scoring seven goals including three braces. UCI has had 13 career hat tricks, but none since Spencer Thompson in 2010. Godoy is the 13th Anteater with 10+ goals in a season and first since Amani Walker (2010)

6-0-1 - Daniel Crisostomo is 4th in the nation and leading the Big West with nine assists. He's assisted on three game-winning goals this season, and the squad is 6-0-1 in matches where he's recorded an assist

8.6 - Since 2012, the 4th place team in the Big West South averaged 8.6 points
Year    School    Points
2012    UC Irvine    6
2013    Cal State Fullerton    10
2014    CSUN    11
2015    UC Riverside    6
2016    UC Irvine    10

LAST WEEK RECAP
UC Irvine rode the Big West South roller coast to a resounding win and road defeat.
 
The 'Eaters took three points from UC Riverside Wednesday night started off by an Alvaro Quezada goal in the 40th minute. UCI added three more in the second half including a brace from Giovanni Godoy while working a fourth shutout on the season in the 4-0 victory.
 
The 'Eaters travelled to CSUN Saturday night and had to play catch-up a couple of times; first falling behind in the 18th minute, and after equalizing in the 24th, allowed 50th and 74th minute goal, could not get back level despite another Godoy brace falling 3-2.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
The Big West South has tightened even more as all four squads sit two points apart from each other with Cal State Fullerton and CSUN trying to bump the 'Eaters down this week.
 
UCI and Cal State Fullerton each get a first look at each other in 2017 on Wednesday night. The Titans' 7-6-2 mark mirrors CSUN as the Titans have had some positive results in non-conference including four shutouts wins while picking up tough defeats to ranked Clemson and Utah Valley. CSF started rough in Big West allowing five goals to UCSB, but remain in the mix with seven points. A dreadful loss at UC Riverside Saturday night keeps them looking up at UCI and CSUN, but the Titans have had UCI's number going 3-0-1 against them in the last two seasons. The offense revolves around Ross McPhie and his six goals and three assists. Samuel Goni (4 G) and Mark Hernandez (2 G, 3 A) have also been solid contributors on a squad that specializes in earning corner kicks, its 5.5 per match leads the conference. Paul-Andre Guerin has returned to the lineup stopping 17 shots and going 2-2-1 in his five Big West contests. Alfredo Cortez spelled him for five matches midseason to the tune of 3-1-1.
 
UCI is back home Saturday to exact revenge on CSUN who dropped them over the weekend. The three goals from the Matadors marked only the second three-goal output in 2017 (4-2 at Grand Canyon). Daniel Trejo was the catalyst Saturday night scoring twice to tie him atop the team's goal-scoring leaders, but sophomore defender Alex Lara provided the game-winner, his first career goal. Henrik Regitnig made two saves as he stands neck-and-neck with Waldron on the season with matching 1.17 goals-against-average marks. CSUN enters Anteater Stadium, a place where it has not lost in the regular season since 2013 earning draws in each of the last two seasons.

NATIONAL NOTORIETY
UC Irvine's offense has continued to soar and is in the conversation as one of the most prolific in the NCAA. The team's 30 goals scored ranks eighth in the nation and is powered by Giovanni Godoy's 11 goals which top the Big West and are the fourth-most nationwide. He has also worked into the Anteater record books now tied for fifth-most in a single season and creeping up on Jon Spencer (12), Ken Gunn (13), and Anthony Hamilton (13) up the ranks. His 24 points is also top-10 in the nation, and his next point will put him into the UCI top 10 for a single season. The 'Eaters are 6-1-1 in matches where he's scored in this season, and he has now earned a brace in consecutive matches giving him three this season, all in Big West games.
 
Another major bright spot is the rate UCI has registered assists. The 36 for the club ranks third nationwide, and is centered around Daniel Crisostomo and Mario Ortiz. The junior defensive mid has racked up nine assists following his pair on Wednesday night. He stands fourth in the NCAA in 2017, and his next will make him the fifth Anteater with 10+ in a single season. Ortiz has bolted into the picture with five assists in his last four matches including two in the loss on Saturday. He has found his touch after assisting just twice in his previous two seasons. The duo leads the charge for the 'Eaters who average two goals and 2.4 assist per match.

THROW-INS
+ UCI has seen crowds of 1,064 (USF) and 1,067 (Cal Poly) this season growing the total to 16 crowds of 1,000+ fans in program history. It's the third season with multiple 1,000+ crowds (2008, 2013)
+ The Anteaters were briefly ranked prior to last week coming in at No. 23 according to TopDrawerSoccer.com, but never played a match before they fell back out of the rankings
+ Alex Waldron's PK save vs. New Mexico was the 2nd of his career. UC Irvine keepers have saved 5 of the last 9 penalty kick opportunities dating back to 2015. His six saves in the draw on Saturday set a new single-game career high for the sophomore
+ The Anteater offense has scored a goal in 19 of the last 20 matches dating back to 2016 and have scored three or more goals in five matches this season alone
+ The Big West South has a very connected coaching tree. Head Coach Yossi Raz spent nine years as an assistant coach at CSUN in addition to his time as a student-athlete for the program. Assistant Brian Lanoye spent eight years with Cal State Fullerton as an assistant coach along with a grad and undergrad assistant. Cal State Fullerton's head coach, George Kuntz, spent 19 seasons as head coach for the Anteaters and is joined by former Anteater coach and player, Carlos Aguilar, and another fellow player, Kyle Schmid. UC Riverside recently hired Chris Volk as its assistant coach after Volk spent 20 years as a coach with the UC Irvine program which included 17 years as an assistant coach and the last three years as the head coach