9 & 4 - Under coach Juniper, UCI has 9 wins and 4 draws all-time against the Pac-12 including a 2OT win at Cal in 2021
8 - Scarlett Camberos had a program-record 8-game point streak snapped Sunday. She leads the Big West in goals and points
433:03 - Keeper Glo Hinojosa has built a shutout streak of 433:03; she also tops the Big West in GAA (0.70) and shutouts (9)
13 - Anteaters took home 13 Big West Player of the Week awards in 2021; 4 offensive,
2 defensive, and 7 freshman honors
20 - 20 Anteaters have recorded a point in 2021 along with 14 different goal scorers and 10 scoring their first-ever goal
2nd - UCI won its 2nd Big West Tournament, first since 1997, and earned a 3rd trip to the NCAA Tournament as a program
 
NCAA Tournament
· The Anteaters reached the NCAA Tournament for the third time and the first time via the Big West automatic qualifier. UCI earned an at-large berth in 2010 and promptly won their first two matches against Arizona State and Wake Forest before falling in overtime to Washington in the third round.  It was the program's fourth regular-season title, all of which have come under head coach Scott Juniper.
· UCI's 2021 NCAA Tournament begins with stout competition against the No. 2 national seed, UCLA. The champions of the Big West take on the champions of the Pac-12 for the second straight year. UCI has won six straight heading into Friday while UCLA is unbeaten in 26 games including all 19 games in 2021 going 16-0-3. UCLA is making its 25th trip to the NCAA Tournament winning 69 games, reaching three College Cups, and collecting a national title in 2013.
· The sides met to open 2021 at UCLA with the Bruins jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first 19 minutes before the Anteaters gathered themselves and held that score until an 89th-minute goal from the 'Eaters falling 3-1. That marked the seventh straight win for UCLA in the series giving them an 8-3-2 lead in the series. UCI won a pair of matches in their inaugural season in 1984 and again in 1995.
· UCLA was ranked fifth in their first meeting, and now enter the postseason as the No. 2 national seed. After UCI's goal in the opener, the Bruins shutout their next nine opponents including every other non-conference foe. UCLA's defense helped them stay unbeaten allowing 11 total goals thanks to Lauren Brzykcy's 0.52 goals-against-average  posting nine shutouts and allowing multiple goals just once. Offensively, Reilyn Turner and Mia Fishel each have 10+ goals including one for each in the opener against UCI.

2021 Season Notes
· UC Irvine's 15 overall victories are the most in the Big West and marks the third 15-win season for UCI joining the 2010 squad's 19 and 15 from the 1997 Anteaters. It marks the eighth 10-win campaign in coach Juniper's 14 seasons at the helm. UCI has also secured its 10th winning season in that span.
· On Sept. 16, the Anteaters earned their first win against Cal in the programs' 13th all-time meeting. On the road, the 'Eaters handed the Golden Bears, who were receiving votes in the national polls at the time, their first loss of the season. In the 1-0 double-overtime victory, it was Julia Gonzalez who netted the game-winner in the 104th minute. It was the 13th result under head coach Scott Juniper against the Pac-12 (9 wins, 4 draws), and first win over a Pac-12 school since Oregon in 2017.
· The home opener was all UCI, winning 6-0 over Southern Utah on Aug. 22. It was the program's most goals scored in a game since 2010, which was also a 6-0 victory against UC Davis. The Anteaters went on to match that total in a 6-1 road win at CSUN on Oct. 24. The victory over the Matadors capped an 11-goal week as the 'Eaters also routed CSU Bakersfield, 5-0, on Oct. 21.
Of UCI's 14 goal scorers, 10 have recorded their first career tally in Sophie Gillies, Desiree Mendoza, Chloe Ragon, Alyssa Moore, Laila El Behery, Lilli Rask, Destinee Manzo, Kiera Smeenge, Autumn Thompkins and Suus de Bakker. Eight posted their first collegiate points along with five others who did so on assists; Sarah Ralston, Maddy Chavez, Gianna Creighton, Jenae Perez, and Mihaela Perez.
· The Big West Preseason Coaches Poll projected the Anteaters to finish in a tie for third with UC Santa Barbara. It was the fourth-straight year the 'Eaters were picked in the top four in the preseason poll. They also drew four first-place votes which led all teams in the poll. The 11-player Preseason All-Big West team included fourth-year forward Scarlett Camberos and third-year midfielder Gianna Creighton.
· The Anteaters have 18 returners, including 15 who played minutes for UCI prior to the 2021 season. Joining the 18 returners are 18 newcomers, 15 of which are freshmen. Eight of those freshmen joined the squad in 2020, while 10 have joined the fold for 2021, including transfers from Oregon, Air Force, and Nevada.

Student-Athlete Notes
· With a canceled 2020 season, women's soccer still pushed through placing 47 student-athletes on the Fall, Winter, and Spring Dean's Lists. Fifteen different 'Eaters earned Dean's List honors in at least two quarters, and 10 were recognized for all three quarters including current players Maddie Lauro, Maddy Chavez, Sarah Javorsky, Kiera Smeenge, Destinee Manzo, Alyssa Moore, Sarah Ralston, and Halli Stewart.
· Eleven different majors are represented among the 29 'Eaters who have declared, with the most common being Sociology (10). Four Anteaters are also Public Health Policy majors. UCI alum, Shelby Lee, was a PHP major toward her nursing school aspirations while she was the Big West's representative at National SAAC conferences where she has spoken on panels regarding mental health and helped toward the Time Management Plan that is currently in place to help student-athletes. Among the other 'Eaters are three Psychological Science majors, two newcomers as Biomedical Engineering majors, as well as Education, Film & Media Studies, Engineering, Social Ecology, and Literary Journalism.
· Maddy Chavez leads the way in academic exploits earning scholarships over the past year in the social justice leaders category; specifically the Houts Family and Maxine E Nevin Leider scholarships. Chavez is 1 of 4 Anteaters that are currently Criminology, Law, & Society majors.

Stats To Watch
· Scarlett Camberos leads the team with 13 goals, seven assists, and 33 points. She also leads the conference in points, goals, shots on goals per game (2.1), and shot accuracy (61.8%). Her recent scoring surge has put her among the top-15 in the nation in goals (T12th) and points (T13th).
· Glo Hinojosa has recorded all 15 UCI wins in 2021 including her first nine career shutouts. She's stopped 55 shots, and has posted a Big West-leading 0.70 goals against average. Hinojosa, who has posted four-straight shutouts, extended her season-long scoreless streak to 433:03.
· Head Coach Scott Juniper is back with his staff for his 16th year at UC Irvine and 15th at the helm. Juniper is the program's all-time winningest head coach with 148 wins and four Big West titles, while his teams have produced a Big West-leading 82 points (25-10-7) in conference play since 2016.

Fans In The Stands
· UC Irvine soccer and Anteater Stadium welcomes back 100% capacity attendance for the 2021 season. In accordance with updated public health guidance regarding COVID-19, UC Irvine Athletics events will be at full-seating capacity for the upcoming 2021-22 season. Athletics will align with the latest state guidance regarding indoor and outdoor events as well as county, city, and campus directives.
· All UC Irvine home matches will be broadcasted on ESPN+ for 2021 following the new Big West deal. David Gascon will be on the call for each game, and links to watch and follow along can be found on ucirvinesports.com or @UCIwsoc social media.
· In 2019, UC Irvine women's soccer set a UCI soccer record for regular season crowd with 1,704 fans to see UCI take on No. 4 UCLA. It was the fourth-largest crowd in stadium history behind three postseason matches by the men's soccer program

'Eaters Playing Professionally
· Laila El Behery played in u20 Women's World Cup qualifying with the Egyptian under-20 National Team. She was overseas for both legs of their tie with the Republic of Congo, falling 4-2 in aggregate, and missing matches vs. UC San Diego and at Long Beach State. A second Anteater also returned to national team action as alum Jessica Miclat rejoined the Philippines national team defeating Nepal and Hong Kong, 2-1, to qualify for the 2022 Women's Asian Cup in an attempt to qualify for the 2023 Women's World Cup.
· Kiana Palacios and Janelly Farias have joined forces for Club America in Mexico's top league. The duo opened the season on July 18 each scoring a goal in the club's 2-1 win over Santos Laguna. This is Farias' second season with the club after playing previously with her hometown Chivas Guadalajara. Palacios joined this season after three with Spain's Real Sociedad. Both also play with the Mexican Senior National Team.
· Mady Solow has been playing professionally since graduating in 2013 starting in Italy and stints with the Polish National Team. She spent a season in Switzerland with FC Basel before settling back in Italy with Hellas Verona for a second season now.
· Cami Privett is stateside now in her fifth season with Houston Dash as a midfielder and defender. She first joined the club after an open tryout right after graduating from UCI in 2014. She was loaned out to a Norwegian club for 2017 and then to Spain in the same league as Palacios for 2018-19 before returning to Houston where she's stayed and made 19 appearances.
· Jessica Miclat finished up in 2019 and set off on the global scene. She had been part of the Philippines National Team since her junior year and participated in international tournaments and World Cup qualifiers. She continues to work with them, but also signed on with Danish club, Aalborg, late last season. The season for her and the club begins this August.