UCI packed tons of action into one match last week drawing at No. 22 Loyola Marymount, 3-3, thanks to five points from
. Now its on to conference play with a home match against UC Riverside and weekend trip to Sac State starting it off.
#12 - Entering Big West play, UCI's early RPI sits at 46 while taking on the #12 toughest non-conference schedule. The Anteaters finished 2018 with the 22nd-toughest schedule nationally and an RPI of 23
4 - The Anteaters are unbeaten in their last
4 matches going 1-0-3. UCI has not lost in regulation in seven matches (2-1-3) falling once in overtime to San Diego
10 - The Anteaters got their first
10 goals of the season from different players. For six of them, it was the first goal of their collegiate career, and
Victor Falck and
Oscar Cervantes got there's as game-winning goals
STORYLINESÂ
Christian Gutierrez had a career day scoring twice to help UCI draw with No. 22 LMU, 3-3, and it earned him his first Big West Offensive Player of the Week award. He now takes over the team lead in goals (3) and points (7). UCI's first 10 goals of the season were scored by 10 different players.
Roberto Molina's free kick and
Victor Falck's penalty kick were each their second of the season to complete a 3-0 win over Pacific
UC Irvine completes non-conference play with a 3-4-4 record, the only Big West squad with a losing record. The team did go up against the 12th-toughest schedule in the nation with four ranked squads on the docket and two others receiving votes. The Big West Conference finishes non-conference play rated the sixth-best in the nation with five programs touting a top-50 toughest schedule
The 'Eaters star freshman
Kwabena Boateng missed three matches as he was training with the U.S. under-20 National Team in Slovenia in early September. Boateng played in both matches as the U.S. defeated the Zagreb Football Federation and UAE U-23s in friendlies
UC Irvine began the season ranked at No. 25 in the United Soccer Coaches poll. They finished 2018 just outside the top 25. UC Irvine was also slotted No. 21 according to Top Drawer Soccer's preseason poll. UCI fell out of the voting completely, but have played the fifth-strongest schedule thus far facing six opponents with national votes in eight contests with three opponents entering the matches ranked in the top 10
The Anteaters bring in a talented class of
14 newcomers rated as the top recruiting class in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer. Five of the newcomers are transfers from programs such as New Mexico, San Francisco, Coastal Carolina, and Portland, while another four Anteaters enter the mix after redshirting in their first year with the program in 2018. One newcomer,
Jorge Hernandez, joined the 'Eaters after signing an NLI and playing in the exhibition matches before signing a pro contract with L.A. Galaxy and has been a starter for L.A. Galaxy II
The 'Eaters completed their coaching staff in the early stages of the season adding assistant and Anteater soccer alum
Aaron Colacion, and volunteer/goalkeeper coach
Yonha Adrabi. The coaching openings came about when volunteer assistant Brian Lanoye took an assistant job at Pacific to join coach Raz's former assistant, Adam Reeves, now the head coach. Anteater assistant Matt O'Sullivan then filled the opening at Cal Poly Pomona created by Reeves' departure
With a...Â
...win Wednesday, UCI would make it two straight years with a result in their Big West opener after defeating UCR to start 2018 Big West
...win or draw Saturday, it would be UCI's first win at Sac State since 2013 having lost (2015) and drawn (2017), both in overtime, since
UC RIVERSIDE HIGHLANDERS
The Highlanders started out hot losing just once in their first eight matches, and that came against SMU now ranked in the top 10. The Highlanders are coming off an historic 2018 where they turned around a 2-7-1 record into four Big West wins and finding a way to take its first Big West Tournament title to reach the NCAAs. Roberto Garcia-Vargas (3 G, 2 A) and Caio Guazelli (2 G, 2 A) led the balanced attack from UCR while veteran Edwyn Gutierrez has posted a 0.95 GAA. UCR has struggled away from home just 1-3-0 to his point
Wednesday's match will also be UCI's Breast Cancer Awareness match that includes ticket packages that fund the UCI Breast Health Center
SAC STATE HORNETS
The Hornets are 5-5-1 through conference play, already eclipsing their four-win 2018 season. Sac State has played a fairly similar schedule to UCI going a collective 2-2-1 against Gonzaga, LMU, USD, Pacific, and Saint Mary's. The offense averages almost a goal and a half led by underclassmen Oscar Govea (3 G, 3 A) and Arath Chavez (2 G, 3 A). Freshman of the Year Benji Kikanovic has been fairly quiet outside his hat trick vs. San Francisco. Ryan Curtis has stopped 51 shots in goal, but the defense as a whole allows the most goals in the Big West.
