IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine men's soccer dropped their regular season finale against CSUN, 1-0, Saturday night at Anteater Stadium.

What Does This Mean
The loss pushes the 'Eaters to a record of 7-6-5 overall, 4-2-1 in Big West play for a third place finish in the regular season. After securing a spot in the Big West Tournament last Saturday, the 'Eaters had a chance to win the conference for a second straight year, or at least earn a top-2 finish and first round bye with a point Saturday night.

They were unsuccessful however, and will now play a first round match Wednesday, November 6, in Anteater Stadium in a rematch with CSUN. The match will kickoff at 7:00 p.m., and the winner will advance to the semifinals Saturday, November 9, at UC Santa Barbara.

First Impressions 
Each team came out ready defensively as the 'Eaters and Matadors (7-7-3, 2-3-2) would both log just a single shot on goal in the initial 20 minutes of play.

Following the slow start, CSUN was able to cut through the Anteater defense to get on the board in the 29th minute. Marvin Arias would take a cross from Daniel Trejo and slice it across goal and inside the far post past keeper Ford Parker to make it 1-0, CSUN.

The 'Eaters would have multiple opportunities in the closing minutes of the half to score, none better than in the final ten seconds of the period when Eddy Berumen got free and unloaded a strong drive off the crossbar bouncing down and staying out of the net ending the half with CSUN still nursing the 1-0 lead despite thee Anteaters up in shots, 12-4, and 5-2 in shots on target.

Bending But Not Breaking
The Anteaters continued to push the tempo on offense to begin the second half logging two shots and three corners in the first five minutes. The 'Eaters would spend much of the second half with possession in the offensive third once again taking more shots than the Matadors to no avail.

The best opportunity came in the 78th minute as Jose Ortiz took a crack from just above the touchline on the right wing. The hard-angle strike was tipped by CSUN keeper Paul Lewis up off the bar and into the box before it was cleared. The 'Eaters lived in the box much of the second half unable to pounce on any loose balls held without a goal for the first time since mid-September, a span of 10 matches.
 
Final Score: CSUN 1, UC Irvine 0
CSUN pulled off a victory in spite of the 22-10 Anteater shot advantage and putting 10 on target, all saved by Lewis. The Anteaters also served up 10 corner kicks to CSUN's four, and Ford Parker accounted for just one save in net.

Ortiz returned to the pitch after missing both last week with an injury. He was among the six seniors that were honored pregame in a ceremony including Parker, Christian Gutierrez, Drew Boyd, Manny Acosta, and Victor Falck.



Postseason Position 
The boys will have at least one more opportunity to play in Anteater Stadium with the first round home match Wednesday evening. The club still have a favorable shot to host the Big West Tournament Final should it get by CSUN and UC Santa Barbara, still dependent on UC Davis' fate on the other side of the Big West Tournament bracket. Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly fill out the final two spots in the tournament and will play in San Luis Obispo Wednesday to determine who travels to Big West regular season champion UC Davis.

UC Irvine's NCAA Tournament at-large possibilities still have a heartbeat. Entering the tournament, UC Irvine stands at a 36 RPI, directly on the edge of the at-large cutoff. Next week's tournament will have an impact on UCI's RPI, and the farther the Anteaters advance through the Big West Tournament will continue to improve their chances at receiving an at-large or the automatic bid for the tournament champion.