Thursday, October 11
Riverside, CA
7:00 PM
UC Irvine
at
UC Riverside
Photo by: Jenny Chuang
'Eaters at Highlanders, Aggies for Pivotal Big West Trip
October 09, 2018 | Women's Soccer
UC Irvine has started Big West play magnificently taking all nine points from its first three matches at home, and now must sustain that pace with road contests at 10-win UC Riverside and a hard-nosed UC Davis squad
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Storylines
β’ The Anteaters were recipients of two more double overtime winners first taking down UC Santa Barbara Friday night in the 102nd minute, 2-1, and following that up Sunday against Cal Poly with another 2-1 victory in the 110th minute
β’ Maddie Newsom won her first ever Big West Defensive Player of the Week stopping eight shots over 212 minutes and earning two wins. Newsom also assisted on both game-winning goals giving her an NCAA record three assists on the season
β’ Shelby Lee completed the sweep of Big West Player of the Week awards by collecting the offensive honor after scoring a goal in each match over the week including her first career game-winner Sunday to defeat Cal Poly with 28 seconds remaining in 2OT
β’ The Anteaters got Friday's game-winning goal from senior Kelsee Pottorff, her first career goal
β’ Maddie Newsom leapt into fourth all-time in program history with 190 career saves. She is within reach of 200 career saves which would make her the fourth Anteater keeper to hit that plateau. She also won matches 29 and 30 of her career last week in which she ranks third all-time in program history
β’ The Anteaters have played in 10 one-goal matches of their 13 this season. UCI is 7-3-0 in those matches
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About UC Riverside
β’ The Highlanders have had a remarkable 2018 going unbeaten in their first 12 matches before a loss to UC Santa Barbara on Sunday, but with a 10-1-2 record, they've risen into the at-large discussion for NCAA Tournament berths including eight home wins
β’ UC Riverside gained ground in 2017 finishing 8-11-2 and in second in the Big West at 5-3-0. UCR still didn't get any preseason love with a projection to finish seventh. The Anteaters have won each of the last three meetings against them as well
β’ Madeline Feist powers the offense with seven goals, five of the game-winning variety, and three assists, Quinley Quezada has added a pair of goals as well, the defense has lined up well behind Amanda Roy, Allyssa Troy, Christina Tucket, and Giselle Preciado to allow just three goals all season, and keeper Annie Bailey has done her part stopping 43 shots in her reign of seven shutouts since replacing Laura Perjanik from earlier in the season
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About UC Davis
β’ The Aggies were hit by losses early from No. 1 Stanford, Nevada, and San Diego State, but found some light in a draw at Cal to enter Big West play at 3-5-2. They started on the road falling at UCSB and Hawai'I while picking up a win over Cal Poly, and now entertain Cal State Fullerton and the 'Eaters this week
β’ UC Davis struggled to a 4-12-2 mark in 2017 with three wins coming in conference including a surprise at UCI last season with a late goal to win, 1-0, at the ESPN3 broadcasted match. The Big West slotted UCD to finish fifth in the preseason
β’ Sophomore Alicia Sloss has put away four of the 12 Aggie goals so far, the defensive unit of Margot Ridgeway, Kristie Braken-Guelke, Nicole Carson, and Bryanna Duckett have found some rhythm, sophomore shots leader Aliyah Walker is still searching for her first point, and consistent keeper Alexis Smith as a senior has 52 saves and three shutouts to keep UCD in contention
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With a win...
β’ ...UCI secure its third straight win in the series against UCSB and Cal Poly
β’ ...the 'Eaters would extend its season-high winning streak to six matches. The 'Eaters have also won its last four Big West regular season matches dating back to 2017
β’ ...UCI would extend its win streak to four straight against the Highlanders
Up Next
β’ UC Irvine returns home next week to host CSUN in Anteater Stadium Thursday night. The Anteaters will celebrate its senior class in the final regular season home match of 2018
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Breaking News-om
β’ Maddie Newsom has set a career high and tied it once this season with nine saves in a match, first in a 2OT loss against Washington, and matching it in the regulation victory over San Diego
β’ Newsom stopped two penalty attempts in the win over San Francisco giving her three PK saves all-time joining her stop against UC Davis in the 89th minute last season in a 1-0 loss at home
β’ Newsom surpassed Jenn Randazzo and Kirsten Roy on the all-time wins list this season. She jumped Roy last week with wins over UCSB and Cal Poly giving her 30 now which ranks third all-time among Anteater keepers
β’ Newsom has hurdled Erin Henry, Sarah Swancutt, Janice Taft, Allison Merrick, Jenn Randazzo, Amee Chapman, and now Marissa Welliver as of Friday night's match this season totaling 190 career saves. Newsom is on pace to be the 'Eaters' fourth keeper all-time with 200 career saves needing 10 over the final 5+ matches
β’ Newsom also joined the 50-match club back on Sep. 16 in the match at Pepperdine. She is among the 73 Anteaters with at least 50 matches played, and she's started all of them making her the 43rd Anteaters with 50+ starts
β’ Newsom has made an amazing offensive jump assisting on three goals this season, all coming in the last four matches. The three goalkeeper assists sets a new NCAA single-season record, and her three in a career ties her with Baylor's Dawn Greathouse who had three career assists and a goal from 1997-99
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Numerology
β’ The Anteaters have won each of its last two matches in double overtime, twice coming in the final minute of play. Overall, the team is 3-1-1 in 2OT this year. UCI has had two 2OT wins one other time in program history (2010). UCI's program record of OT matches in a season is nine (2003) while its played as many as six matches into 2OT (2010)
β’ In the program's history of 685 matches, 147 of them have reached overtime with UCI winning 34 - 19 in the 1st OT and 15 in the 2nd OT - losing 36 - 27 in the 1st OT and 9 in the 2nd OT - and tying 77 times
β’ Claire Grouwinkel registered her first two multi-goal games in her career against USF and USD. Since 2014, Anteaters have knocked in two goals in a match 12 times including five from Kiana Palacios, two from Laura McGrail, and one from another current Anteater, Lili Andino. Grouwinkel is the only of those that achieved each in consecutive matches
β’ Alex Karlowitsch starred at setting Grouwinkel up recording a pair of assists vs. USD. Since 2014, Anteaters have registered two assists in a game 17 times with six coming from current Anteaters led by Karlowitsch's three (2014 at UCD, 2016 vs. Pitt), Reema Bzeih's two (2016 vs. CP, 2017 vs. Toledo), and Shelby Lee last year vs. UC Riverside. For
Karlowitsch, she moves into a tie for eighth in program history with Natalia Ledezma registering 15 career assists each
β’ Kelsee Pottorff knocked home her first career goal on Friday to win the match. She is one of five Anteaters (McDaniel, Bzeih, Jaquez, Kelley) to each score their first career goals this season and one of five 'Eaters (Bzeih, Jaquez, Grouwinkel, Kelley) to produce their first game-winner
β’ The goal scored by McDaniel to start the season was the first by an Anteater defender since Kelsey Texeira in the 2016 Big West Tournament Semifinal vs. Cal State Fullerton. In fact, the Anteaters' first two goals of 2018 were by defenders
β’ UC Irvine opened the season with a loss at the hands of No. 12 USC. UCI is now 0-3 against ranked opponents to open a season, 0-2 in Anteater Stadium.
β’Β UCI stands at 6-8-0 all-time against ranked opponents.
Match Making
β’ Over the weekend, Alex Karlowitsch became the 28th Anteater to reach 70 matches played in a career. Lili Andino will have a chance to join her Wednesday as her next match will be her 70th of her career. Karlowitsch will also reach 50 starts with her next one and become the 44th Anteater with as many in a career joining Reema Bzeih and Maddie Newsom who have done so already in 2018
β’ Wednesday's match could also be the site of Jessica Miclat's 50th career match. Aleah Kelley would join her if she plays in each match over the weekend. The Anteaters have had five players reach the 50-match plateau already this season upping the program total to 74
β’ Aleah Kelley was issued the program's first red card since 2014 in the loss at Pepperdine. Kelley served her one-game suspension in the team's match at San Francisco
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Crowd Surfing
β’ UC Irvine's season opener attracted 1,704 Anteater fans to Anteater Stadium setting a new single-game record for a women's soccer match.
β’ The previous record of 1,611 fans had stood since 2011 in a 3-1 victory over Portland
β’ The crowd was the ninth in program history to surpass 1,000 which includes two a season ago.
β’ The mark fits in as the fourth-largest crowd in the history of the stadium with the three higher marks all belonging to the men's soccer program
β’ The season-opening crowd, however, is the largest of any team for a regular season contest
Anteaters Around the Globe
β’ UC Irvine's professional squad grew last month with Mady Solow's signing with Swiss side FC Basel just after it was eliminated from UEFA Champions League qualifying. Solow is with her third professional squad which began in Iceland with Throttur Reykjavik in 2015 scoring one goal in 11 matches. She then leapt to Italian club Chievo Verona for the 2017-18 season starting 21 matches and scoring three times. Solow has even seen action for the Polish national team earning a cap during the 2017 UEFA Women's Championship
β’ Kiana Palacios began with Spanish side Real Sociedad coming off the bench in each of her first two matches against Malaga (68') and Logroño (54'). She's currently appearing with the Mexican National Team as they attempt to qualify for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She has appeared in each CONCACAF match thus far as a sub. Mexico plays Panama Wednesday needing a win to move on to the knockout round, Oct. 14-17, and stay in contention
β’ Noel Baham has helped her Lithuanian side, FK Gintra Universietas, qualify for the Champions League scoring once in her team's three qualifying wins. Baham and FK Gintra played in the Champions League Round of 16 matchups with Slavia Praha, a 3-0 loss, with Baham entering the match in the 62nd minute, and started in the second leg in which they were eliminated.
β’ Maria Magaña is part of independent side Einherji FC in Iceland where she's earned a win in limited action
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Preseason Pub
β’ The Anteaters were voted the favorites to win the Big West Conference in 2018 edging out a projected top four of Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton, and CSUN
β’ UC Irvine was 1 of 2 programs (UC Riverside) without a player voted on the Preseason All-Big West squad
β’ UC Irvine will host the 2018 Big West Tournament after claiming the 2017 regular season title. It will be the fourth time the Big West Tournament has come to UCI
β’ The 'Eaters return two from the 2017 All-Big West squad - forwardΒ Claire GrouwinkelΒ earned All-Freshman Team honors whileΒ Maddie NewsomΒ scored Honorable Mention for the second straight season
β’ Head CoachΒ Scott JuniperΒ returns after earning his second Big West Coach of the Year honor
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2017-18 Highlights
β’ UC Irvine claimed its third Big West regular season title joining the 2010 and 2011 squads
β’ Last season marked the eighth time in 11 seasons under head coachΒ Scott JuniperΒ that the Anteaters have finished with a winning record and seventh time with at least 10 wins
β’ The Anteaters were responsible for the Big West's Offensive Player of the Year (Noel Baham) and Midfielder of the Year (Kiana Palacios)
β’ The 'Eaters finished as the conference leaders in assists (32) and shutouts (10) and a tie for the least amount of goals allowed (17) while finishing just behind in second for goals, GAA, and corner kicks
β’ Coach Juniper became the program's winningest head coach when he won his 114th career match over Oregon, 1-0
Count It
UCI played an exhibition match against Long Beach State at Championship Soccer Stadium in the OC Great Park. After three 30-minute periods, the Anteaters came through with the 1-0 victory on aΒ Claire GrouwinkelΒ goal in the second period. There were 32 Anteaters that made an appearance in the match including 12 freshmen and three different goalkeepers that preserved the shutout. All-time under coach Juniper, UCI is now 2-0-4 in exhibition matches
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Top of the Heap
Head CoachΒ Scott JuniperΒ enters as the team's head coach for his 12th season. He overtook the program's lead in head coaching wins last season, and enters 2018 with 121 to show for it. Under Juniper, the 'Eaters have won three Big West regular season titles, reached the NCAA Tournament twice, had eight winning seasons, and won as many as 10 games seven times.
Triumphant Returns
The Anteaters get a big boost in key areas by the returns of seniorsΒ Alex KarlowitschΒ andΒ Jonnae Joseph. KarlowitschΒ sat our 2017 with an injury, but the former All-Big West player as a freshman is back to command the midfielder. Joseph was cut down with an injury before conference play in 2017 missing over half the season. Her tenacity along the wing and senior leadership will fuel each third for the Anteaters
What does the Future Hold?
Coach Juniper has brought in 15 newcomers to the squad this season, 13 of which are freshman.Β Alex JaquezΒ andΒ Scarlett CamberosΒ have risen through the ranks quickly looking to earn some minutes as forwards. Midfielders earning some looks have beenΒ Amber HuffΒ along with a slew of second-year Anteaters. Defensively, more of the same with a lot of second-year talent ready to make the jump along with the freshman presence ofΒ Piper Wurth.Β Maddie Newsom'sΒ grip on the keeper spot is formidable, but the competition for second-in-line is white-hot between seniorΒ Idalis Gonzalez, third-yearΒ Madi Puliafico, and freshmanΒ Glo Hinojosa.
Defending the Crown
The stout reminder of UCI's regular season glory from a year ago is seen by the returning presence on the backline ofΒ Aleah Kelley,Β Reema Bzeih, andΒ Maddie Newsom. Kelley led the team in minutes a year ago while BzeihΒ added to her breakout sophomore season with five more assists, andΒ Maddie NewsomΒ continues to be the class of the Big West in net posting eight shutouts in each of her first two seasons
She'll Be Back
Shelby LeeΒ has made a lot of noise on and off the field over the last 12 months. She came into her own as a junior playing all 20 matches and scoring her first three goals in addition to assist on a pair. She also has held the title of NCAA Regional SAAC representative for a year now as head of the Big West. She's made a lot of efforts to organize student-athlete life managing time between academic and athletic priorities for all student-athletes, and looks to make a strong final impression all-around in her senior campaign
What's Missing?
The Anteaters graduate their two top scorers from a year ago inΒ Kiana PalaciosΒ andΒ Noel Baham, the Big West Midfielder and Big West Offensive Player of the Year, respectively. Each scored six goals and accounted for three game-winners and 11 assists between them. The attacking presence will be dotted with veterans pieces such as juniorsΒ Lili Andino,Β Jessica Miclat,Β Carley Brown, andΒ Claire Grouwinkel
Opposing Views
The Anteater non-conference schedule is as beefy as ever. The United Soccer Coaches rankings were unveiled Tuesday, and from it two Anteater opponents were issued top-25 status starting with UCI's season-opening guest, USC, at No. 12. Pepperdine starts the year at No. 18 as the 'Eaters will travel to them later in September. One other opponent was receiving votes landing it just outside the top 25 in Arizona, and that could change after the first weekend of play.Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β
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Game Notes
UC Irvine Anteaters at UC Riverside Highlanders
Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 - 7:00 PM
UCR Soccer Stadium - Riverside, Calif.
Live Stats
UC Irvine Anteaters at UC Riverside Highlanders
Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 - 7:00 PM
UCR Soccer Stadium - Riverside, Calif.
Live Stats
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UC Irvine Anteaters at UC Davis Aggies
Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018 - 2:00 PM
Aggie Soccer Field - Davis, Calif.
Live StatsΒ | Video
Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018 - 2:00 PM
Aggie Soccer Field - Davis, Calif.
Live StatsΒ | Video
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Storylines
β’ The Anteaters were recipients of two more double overtime winners first taking down UC Santa Barbara Friday night in the 102nd minute, 2-1, and following that up Sunday against Cal Poly with another 2-1 victory in the 110th minute
β’ Maddie Newsom won her first ever Big West Defensive Player of the Week stopping eight shots over 212 minutes and earning two wins. Newsom also assisted on both game-winning goals giving her an NCAA record three assists on the season
β’ Shelby Lee completed the sweep of Big West Player of the Week awards by collecting the offensive honor after scoring a goal in each match over the week including her first career game-winner Sunday to defeat Cal Poly with 28 seconds remaining in 2OT
β’ The Anteaters got Friday's game-winning goal from senior Kelsee Pottorff, her first career goal
β’ Maddie Newsom leapt into fourth all-time in program history with 190 career saves. She is within reach of 200 career saves which would make her the fourth Anteater keeper to hit that plateau. She also won matches 29 and 30 of her career last week in which she ranks third all-time in program history
β’ The Anteaters have played in 10 one-goal matches of their 13 this season. UCI is 7-3-0 in those matches
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About UC Riverside
β’ The Highlanders have had a remarkable 2018 going unbeaten in their first 12 matches before a loss to UC Santa Barbara on Sunday, but with a 10-1-2 record, they've risen into the at-large discussion for NCAA Tournament berths including eight home wins
β’ UC Riverside gained ground in 2017 finishing 8-11-2 and in second in the Big West at 5-3-0. UCR still didn't get any preseason love with a projection to finish seventh. The Anteaters have won each of the last three meetings against them as well
β’ Madeline Feist powers the offense with seven goals, five of the game-winning variety, and three assists, Quinley Quezada has added a pair of goals as well, the defense has lined up well behind Amanda Roy, Allyssa Troy, Christina Tucket, and Giselle Preciado to allow just three goals all season, and keeper Annie Bailey has done her part stopping 43 shots in her reign of seven shutouts since replacing Laura Perjanik from earlier in the season
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About UC Davis
β’ The Aggies were hit by losses early from No. 1 Stanford, Nevada, and San Diego State, but found some light in a draw at Cal to enter Big West play at 3-5-2. They started on the road falling at UCSB and Hawai'I while picking up a win over Cal Poly, and now entertain Cal State Fullerton and the 'Eaters this week
β’ UC Davis struggled to a 4-12-2 mark in 2017 with three wins coming in conference including a surprise at UCI last season with a late goal to win, 1-0, at the ESPN3 broadcasted match. The Big West slotted UCD to finish fifth in the preseason
β’ Sophomore Alicia Sloss has put away four of the 12 Aggie goals so far, the defensive unit of Margot Ridgeway, Kristie Braken-Guelke, Nicole Carson, and Bryanna Duckett have found some rhythm, sophomore shots leader Aliyah Walker is still searching for her first point, and consistent keeper Alexis Smith as a senior has 52 saves and three shutouts to keep UCD in contention
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With a win...
β’ ...UCI secure its third straight win in the series against UCSB and Cal Poly
β’ ...the 'Eaters would extend its season-high winning streak to six matches. The 'Eaters have also won its last four Big West regular season matches dating back to 2017
β’ ...UCI would extend its win streak to four straight against the Highlanders
Up Next
β’ UC Irvine returns home next week to host CSUN in Anteater Stadium Thursday night. The Anteaters will celebrate its senior class in the final regular season home match of 2018
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Breaking News-om
β’ Maddie Newsom has set a career high and tied it once this season with nine saves in a match, first in a 2OT loss against Washington, and matching it in the regulation victory over San Diego
β’ Newsom stopped two penalty attempts in the win over San Francisco giving her three PK saves all-time joining her stop against UC Davis in the 89th minute last season in a 1-0 loss at home
β’ Newsom surpassed Jenn Randazzo and Kirsten Roy on the all-time wins list this season. She jumped Roy last week with wins over UCSB and Cal Poly giving her 30 now which ranks third all-time among Anteater keepers
β’ Newsom has hurdled Erin Henry, Sarah Swancutt, Janice Taft, Allison Merrick, Jenn Randazzo, Amee Chapman, and now Marissa Welliver as of Friday night's match this season totaling 190 career saves. Newsom is on pace to be the 'Eaters' fourth keeper all-time with 200 career saves needing 10 over the final 5+ matches
β’ Newsom also joined the 50-match club back on Sep. 16 in the match at Pepperdine. She is among the 73 Anteaters with at least 50 matches played, and she's started all of them making her the 43rd Anteaters with 50+ starts
β’ Newsom has made an amazing offensive jump assisting on three goals this season, all coming in the last four matches. The three goalkeeper assists sets a new NCAA single-season record, and her three in a career ties her with Baylor's Dawn Greathouse who had three career assists and a goal from 1997-99
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Numerology
β’ The Anteaters have won each of its last two matches in double overtime, twice coming in the final minute of play. Overall, the team is 3-1-1 in 2OT this year. UCI has had two 2OT wins one other time in program history (2010). UCI's program record of OT matches in a season is nine (2003) while its played as many as six matches into 2OT (2010)
β’ In the program's history of 685 matches, 147 of them have reached overtime with UCI winning 34 - 19 in the 1st OT and 15 in the 2nd OT - losing 36 - 27 in the 1st OT and 9 in the 2nd OT - and tying 77 times
β’ Claire Grouwinkel registered her first two multi-goal games in her career against USF and USD. Since 2014, Anteaters have knocked in two goals in a match 12 times including five from Kiana Palacios, two from Laura McGrail, and one from another current Anteater, Lili Andino. Grouwinkel is the only of those that achieved each in consecutive matches
β’ Alex Karlowitsch starred at setting Grouwinkel up recording a pair of assists vs. USD. Since 2014, Anteaters have registered two assists in a game 17 times with six coming from current Anteaters led by Karlowitsch's three (2014 at UCD, 2016 vs. Pitt), Reema Bzeih's two (2016 vs. CP, 2017 vs. Toledo), and Shelby Lee last year vs. UC Riverside. For
Karlowitsch, she moves into a tie for eighth in program history with Natalia Ledezma registering 15 career assists each
β’ Kelsee Pottorff knocked home her first career goal on Friday to win the match. She is one of five Anteaters (McDaniel, Bzeih, Jaquez, Kelley) to each score their first career goals this season and one of five 'Eaters (Bzeih, Jaquez, Grouwinkel, Kelley) to produce their first game-winner
β’ The goal scored by McDaniel to start the season was the first by an Anteater defender since Kelsey Texeira in the 2016 Big West Tournament Semifinal vs. Cal State Fullerton. In fact, the Anteaters' first two goals of 2018 were by defenders
β’ UC Irvine opened the season with a loss at the hands of No. 12 USC. UCI is now 0-3 against ranked opponents to open a season, 0-2 in Anteater Stadium.
β’Β UCI stands at 6-8-0 all-time against ranked opponents.
Match Making
β’ Over the weekend, Alex Karlowitsch became the 28th Anteater to reach 70 matches played in a career. Lili Andino will have a chance to join her Wednesday as her next match will be her 70th of her career. Karlowitsch will also reach 50 starts with her next one and become the 44th Anteater with as many in a career joining Reema Bzeih and Maddie Newsom who have done so already in 2018
β’ Wednesday's match could also be the site of Jessica Miclat's 50th career match. Aleah Kelley would join her if she plays in each match over the weekend. The Anteaters have had five players reach the 50-match plateau already this season upping the program total to 74
β’ Aleah Kelley was issued the program's first red card since 2014 in the loss at Pepperdine. Kelley served her one-game suspension in the team's match at San Francisco
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Crowd Surfing
β’ UC Irvine's season opener attracted 1,704 Anteater fans to Anteater Stadium setting a new single-game record for a women's soccer match.
β’ The previous record of 1,611 fans had stood since 2011 in a 3-1 victory over Portland
β’ The crowd was the ninth in program history to surpass 1,000 which includes two a season ago.
β’ The mark fits in as the fourth-largest crowd in the history of the stadium with the three higher marks all belonging to the men's soccer program
β’ The season-opening crowd, however, is the largest of any team for a regular season contest
Anteaters Around the Globe
β’ UC Irvine's professional squad grew last month with Mady Solow's signing with Swiss side FC Basel just after it was eliminated from UEFA Champions League qualifying. Solow is with her third professional squad which began in Iceland with Throttur Reykjavik in 2015 scoring one goal in 11 matches. She then leapt to Italian club Chievo Verona for the 2017-18 season starting 21 matches and scoring three times. Solow has even seen action for the Polish national team earning a cap during the 2017 UEFA Women's Championship
β’ Kiana Palacios began with Spanish side Real Sociedad coming off the bench in each of her first two matches against Malaga (68') and Logroño (54'). She's currently appearing with the Mexican National Team as they attempt to qualify for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She has appeared in each CONCACAF match thus far as a sub. Mexico plays Panama Wednesday needing a win to move on to the knockout round, Oct. 14-17, and stay in contention
β’ Noel Baham has helped her Lithuanian side, FK Gintra Universietas, qualify for the Champions League scoring once in her team's three qualifying wins. Baham and FK Gintra played in the Champions League Round of 16 matchups with Slavia Praha, a 3-0 loss, with Baham entering the match in the 62nd minute, and started in the second leg in which they were eliminated.
β’ Maria Magaña is part of independent side Einherji FC in Iceland where she's earned a win in limited action
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Preseason Pub
β’ The Anteaters were voted the favorites to win the Big West Conference in 2018 edging out a projected top four of Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton, and CSUN
β’ UC Irvine was 1 of 2 programs (UC Riverside) without a player voted on the Preseason All-Big West squad
β’ UC Irvine will host the 2018 Big West Tournament after claiming the 2017 regular season title. It will be the fourth time the Big West Tournament has come to UCI
β’ The 'Eaters return two from the 2017 All-Big West squad - forwardΒ Claire GrouwinkelΒ earned All-Freshman Team honors whileΒ Maddie NewsomΒ scored Honorable Mention for the second straight season
β’ Head CoachΒ Scott JuniperΒ returns after earning his second Big West Coach of the Year honor
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2017-18 Highlights
β’ UC Irvine claimed its third Big West regular season title joining the 2010 and 2011 squads
β’ Last season marked the eighth time in 11 seasons under head coachΒ Scott JuniperΒ that the Anteaters have finished with a winning record and seventh time with at least 10 wins
β’ The Anteaters were responsible for the Big West's Offensive Player of the Year (Noel Baham) and Midfielder of the Year (Kiana Palacios)
β’ The 'Eaters finished as the conference leaders in assists (32) and shutouts (10) and a tie for the least amount of goals allowed (17) while finishing just behind in second for goals, GAA, and corner kicks
β’ Coach Juniper became the program's winningest head coach when he won his 114th career match over Oregon, 1-0
Count It
UCI played an exhibition match against Long Beach State at Championship Soccer Stadium in the OC Great Park. After three 30-minute periods, the Anteaters came through with the 1-0 victory on aΒ Claire GrouwinkelΒ goal in the second period. There were 32 Anteaters that made an appearance in the match including 12 freshmen and three different goalkeepers that preserved the shutout. All-time under coach Juniper, UCI is now 2-0-4 in exhibition matches
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Top of the Heap
Head CoachΒ Scott JuniperΒ enters as the team's head coach for his 12th season. He overtook the program's lead in head coaching wins last season, and enters 2018 with 121 to show for it. Under Juniper, the 'Eaters have won three Big West regular season titles, reached the NCAA Tournament twice, had eight winning seasons, and won as many as 10 games seven times.
Triumphant Returns
The Anteaters get a big boost in key areas by the returns of seniorsΒ Alex KarlowitschΒ andΒ Jonnae Joseph. KarlowitschΒ sat our 2017 with an injury, but the former All-Big West player as a freshman is back to command the midfielder. Joseph was cut down with an injury before conference play in 2017 missing over half the season. Her tenacity along the wing and senior leadership will fuel each third for the Anteaters
What does the Future Hold?
Coach Juniper has brought in 15 newcomers to the squad this season, 13 of which are freshman.Β Alex JaquezΒ andΒ Scarlett CamberosΒ have risen through the ranks quickly looking to earn some minutes as forwards. Midfielders earning some looks have beenΒ Amber HuffΒ along with a slew of second-year Anteaters. Defensively, more of the same with a lot of second-year talent ready to make the jump along with the freshman presence ofΒ Piper Wurth.Β Maddie Newsom'sΒ grip on the keeper spot is formidable, but the competition for second-in-line is white-hot between seniorΒ Idalis Gonzalez, third-yearΒ Madi Puliafico, and freshmanΒ Glo Hinojosa.
Defending the Crown
The stout reminder of UCI's regular season glory from a year ago is seen by the returning presence on the backline ofΒ Aleah Kelley,Β Reema Bzeih, andΒ Maddie Newsom. Kelley led the team in minutes a year ago while BzeihΒ added to her breakout sophomore season with five more assists, andΒ Maddie NewsomΒ continues to be the class of the Big West in net posting eight shutouts in each of her first two seasons
She'll Be Back
Shelby LeeΒ has made a lot of noise on and off the field over the last 12 months. She came into her own as a junior playing all 20 matches and scoring her first three goals in addition to assist on a pair. She also has held the title of NCAA Regional SAAC representative for a year now as head of the Big West. She's made a lot of efforts to organize student-athlete life managing time between academic and athletic priorities for all student-athletes, and looks to make a strong final impression all-around in her senior campaign
What's Missing?
The Anteaters graduate their two top scorers from a year ago inΒ Kiana PalaciosΒ andΒ Noel Baham, the Big West Midfielder and Big West Offensive Player of the Year, respectively. Each scored six goals and accounted for three game-winners and 11 assists between them. The attacking presence will be dotted with veterans pieces such as juniorsΒ Lili Andino,Β Jessica Miclat,Β Carley Brown, andΒ Claire Grouwinkel
Opposing Views
The Anteater non-conference schedule is as beefy as ever. The United Soccer Coaches rankings were unveiled Tuesday, and from it two Anteater opponents were issued top-25 status starting with UCI's season-opening guest, USC, at No. 12. Pepperdine starts the year at No. 18 as the 'Eaters will travel to them later in September. One other opponent was receiving votes landing it just outside the top 25 in Arizona, and that could change after the first weekend of play.Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β
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/ Women's SoccerDrop your FIFA World Cup 2026 final predictions below ππ
Friday, April 03
UCI Athletics 2026 Hall of Fame Ceremony - Simone Ferrara
Monday, February 16
SUUS = SOCCER KILLA
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