IRVINE, Calif. --- A competitve Sunday match in Anteater Stadium went UCI's way with a second-half push to win, 2-0, over UC Riverside.
ON THE HUNT
The match began with UC Riverside (3-7-1, 0-3-1) the aggressors putting up multiple shots from long distance over the first 15 minutes.
Glo Hinojosa needed to get up and tip one shot over the bar as the match remained scoreless.
UC Irvine (7-4, 2-1) found their offensive footing with some shots going wanting.
Scarlett Camberos had the first best of the half driving along the left wing in the 24th minute and punching a shot on frame that keeper Caela Kaio made a superb save on.
In all, the sides played an even half as the numbers reflected as UCI held slim advantage in shots, 6-5, and corners, 3-2.
ALL SYSTEMS GO
Out of the break, the Highlanders again found a golden opportunity working it within UCI's defensive third. Jessica Tamayo earned the ball and slipped a nifty backheel shot on frame, but Hinojosa read it perfectly and took it away keeping the match scoreless in the 48th minute.
The Anteaters found their own backheel later on that they would make the most of. A brilliant corner kick swung in by
Desiree Mendoza fell to
Piper Wurth using her body to direct it to
Destinee Manzo marking the keeper, and her backheel just slid through and over the line to put UCI in front, 1-0, in the 59th minute.
"Usually I'm not marking the goalkeeper, but I heard the instruction to get on her," Manzo the third-year Anteater described. "And then Piper gave me some type of tummy pass and I realized it was coming right to me. I'm facing the other goal so I decided to heel-kick it hoping it would go it and it did."
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The offense kept humming along with some more help from the defense. UCR had a chance at a corner kick, but the 'Eaters flushed it out hitting
Alyssa Moore at midfield who would do the rest driving from the midway line and finishing upper left in the break to extend it to 2-0 in the 66th minute.
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FINAL SCORE: UC IRVINE 2, UC RIVERSIDE 0
For all the offense displayed, Hinojosa and the defense played just as well pitching her and the team's third shutout of 2021 with five saves on the day.
"The team played fabulous in front me of," the fourth-year keeper praised. "It was a hard first half, but we stick together and came back stronger in the second half. I knew what I needed to do and my team would have my back. I reacted to that backheel shot and somehow got it and my teammates cleared it. But we do everything together - we lose together, we win together - I feel like we just take it one game at a time."
The win vaults the Anteaters back into the top half of the conference now 2-1 in Big West matches and two wins in a row. On the season the team is 7-4 with all seven wins going to
Glo Hinojosa.
Manzo's goal went down as the first of her career upping her UCI point total to seven. She adds to her 2021 total of three assists as well, and accounted for the game-winner.
"We're learning from that loss to start conference. I think we played really well then and in every game we played, we're just learning how to finish games, score, close them out, and we continue to learn how to capitalize on those types of things."
Moore with the other goal now has three on the season for second on the eam as well as second-best point total of nine. Assists on the afternoon went to
Chloe Ragon,
Desiree Mendoza, and
Piper Wurth; the first of the year for all three and first career for Ragon and Mendoza while Wurth now has two as an Anteater.
RIVALRY WEEK
Next on the agenda is a single game coming up for UC Irvine traveling Thursday night to Long Beach State, October 7. The sides renew their Black & Blue Rivalry Series with a 6:00 p.m. kickoff broadcasted on ESPN+ in a match that could go a long way to determining the Big West crown.
