Storylines
After a split in the first week, UC Irvine women's soccer is back at it traveling to undefeated San Diego Thursday night and an important home match Sunday night with Big West foe, CSUN.
 
6 - The 'Eaters scored 6 in their Sunday win over Southern Utah, most since 2010 in a 6-0 home win vs. UC Davis
58 - UC Irvine leads all Big West clubs over the last four seasons by amassing 58 points in Big West matches
5 - Of the seven goals scored in the first two matches, 5 were the first career goal for the scorer
4 - UCI will honor 4 2020 seniors Sunday - Caitlin Sanchez, McKenzie Madison, Sara Young, and Lauren McKimmey
47 - During Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters in 2020-21, the 'Eaters played 47 student-athletes in the Dean's List
2 - Freshman Sophie Gillies took home 2 awards, Big West Offensive POTW and the first Big West Freshman POTW
 
· Sunday night, the Anteaters will honor the four members of their 2020 senior class during the match of Caitlin Sanchez, McKenzie Madison, Lauren McKimmey, and Sara Young.
· Sophie Gillies earned a pair of awards this week named the Big West Offensive Player of the Week and Big West Freshman of the Week after scoring in each match including in her first career goal Thursday at #5 UCLA. Gillies totaled five points over the two matches. This was the first time Freshman of the Week award has been given in Big West women's soccer.
· The Anteaters scored six goals in Sunday's 6-0 win over Southern Utah. The six goals in a match are the most since 2010, also a 6-0 victory defeating UC Davis at home.
· Sunday had six different goalscorers including four players with their first career goals - Alyssa Moore, Lilli Rask, Laila El Behery, and Chloe Ragon who delivered the game-winning goal.
· Glo Hinojosa posted her first career win and shutout in Sunday victory over Southern Utah in her fifth match. She stopped three shots in the effort.
· Overall, seven players earned their first career point over the weekend including the five goal scorers and those adding assists such as Autumn Thompkins and Gianna Creighton.
· The Sunday win kept the 'Eaters' streak of five straight home matches unbeaten (4-0-1) including wins in each of the last two matches in Anteater Stadium.
· Head Coach Scott Juniper is back with his staff for his 16th year with the program, 15th year as the head coach, and 14th season of NCAA soccer. Juniper is the program's all-time winningest coach with 134 wins, three Big West titles, and a Big West-best 58 points over the last four seasons.

This Week's Matches
· The 'Eaters have another home-and-home heading to San Diego Thursday followed by a home game Sunday evening hosting CSUN in a non-conference contest.
· USD hosts the Anteaters Thursday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. in the third of seven straight home games for USD to start 2021. UCI has won the last four meetings including the last trip to USD in 2017. The Toreros are 2-0 so far defeating Cal State Fullerton, 2-1, in the opener with a second-half winner, and finishing Sunday with a 3-1 win against Army. USD is 1 of 2 WCC opponents UCI takes on and was picked to finish ninth in the conference. WCC holds the reigning NCAA champ in Santa Clara from 2020. Sophomore Aryssa Mahrt leads all with three points, eight shots, and four on target. Junior keeper Ellyn Casto has 10 saves in the two matches, both wins, but searching for her first shutout.
· UCI's Sunday opponent is CSUN in a non-conference contest. The Matadors split last week at home falling to Long Beach State, 2-0, and then picking up a 2-1 win over Big Ten side, Iowa State. They have a busy week starting with a trip up to Stanford Thursday before heading down to Irvine. Kacie Garrity provided the game-winning goal over the weekend with Ashley Cruz adding a goal. Amanda Delgado has stopped seven shots in their matches.

2021 So Far
· The Anteaters opened at No. 5 UCLA to start 2021. The Bruins scored three times in the first 20 minutes, but UCI's defense held the final 70 minutes and scored in the 89th minute as freshmen Sophie Gillies and Laila El Behery linked up for a goal and nearly a second just before that
· The home opener was all UCI winning 6-0 over Southern Utah, the program's most goals in a game since 2010. Six different goalscorers were led by four 'Eaters with their first career goals led by Chloe Ragon who delivered the game-winner in the 14th minute along with El Behery, Alyssa Moore, and Lilli Rask
· The Big West Preseason Coaches Poll projects the 'Eaters to finish in a tie for third with UC Santa Barbara. It's the fourth-straight preseason poll the 'Eaters have been picked in the top four. The 'Eaters also drew four first-place votes which led all team in the poll. The 11-player Preseason All-Big West team included a pair of 'Eaters in fourth-year junior forward Scarlett Camberos and third-year sophomore midfielder Gianna Creighton.
· UCI played a pair of exhibitions winning 1-0 in 110 minutes at Saint Mary's on a 34th-minute Alyssa Moore goal. In a home scrimmage, UCI battled back from down to Cal Poly Pomona to win, 2-1, on a first-half PK from Sophie Gillies and 88th-minute winner by Destine Manzo.
· Returning to the roster are 18 Anteaters, 15 that have played minutes for UCI. Scoring leaders return in Scarlett Camberos who has four goals and three assists for 11 points. Alex Jaquez has a pair of goal, both game-winners, and has a pair of assists along with Amber Huff and Destinee Manzo. The 'Eaters bring in four keepers with two that have minutes in Glo Hinojosa playing 300 minutes in four matches in 2019 and Taesja Paopao who has played twice including a shutout victory over Northern Colorado.
· Joining the 19 returners are 18 newcomers. Eight joined the squad in 2020. Ten have joined the fold for 2021 including three from four-year college like Oregon, Air Force, and Nevada. Sophie Gillies shone with five goals of the team's eight in the spring season where they went 3-0-2
Student-Athlete Notes
· Among the new 'Eaters are the international flavor with freshmen Suus de Bakker from the Netherlands, national team members Aveka Singh from India and Laila El Behery of Egypt, and Gillies from England. The roster is also flushed with players connected to Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Ghana, Guam, and Thailand.
·  With no soccer in 2020-21, women's soccer still pushed through placing 47 student-athletes on Fall, Winter, and Spring Dean's Lists. Fifteen different 'Eaters earned Dean's List at least two quarters and 10 were recognized all three quarters including current players Maddie Lauro, Maddy Chavez, Sarah Javorsky, Kiera Smeenge, Destinee Manzo, Alyssa Moore, Sarah Ralston, and Halli Stewart.
· Of the 29 'Eaters that have declared a major, 11 different majors are represented with the most common as Sociology with 10 members and another in Social Ecology
· 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.
· Four Anteaters enter the year as public health policy majors. 'Eater 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 fields Anteaters are studying toward are three Psychological Science majors, two newcomers as Biomedical engineering majors, and other majors represented such as education, film & media studies, engineering, social ecology, and literary journalism.

Stats To Watch
· Two veterans lead the way in matches played with scoring leader Scarlett Camberos with 37 matches under her belt, 20 as a starter, and midfielder Amber Huff, playing 36 career matches
· The leader in starts is Alex Jaquez starting 21 times in her 31 matches played
· As alluded to, Camberos leads all active Anteaters with five goals scored now after her tally Sunday, and three assists for 13 points total. Overall, the team returned 50% of their goals scored in 2019. Jaquez has two career goals, both as game-winners.
· The Anteaters enter 2021 with four keepers on the roster. Two returners in Glo Hinojosa and Taesja Paopao. Hinojosa joined the roster in 2018 and began 2019 as the starting keeper seeing 300 minutes in four matches starting three times. Paopao joined in 2019 and played in two matches starting once against Northern Colorado where she shut them out for a 2-0 victory. The remaining two keepers are new to the roster with freshman Gabby Nelms joining from Carlsbad and transfer Hannah Roberts who is originally from the State of Washington and played one match with the University of Nevada in 2019.

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. Specific details regarding health and safety protocols at specific venues and events will be announced at a later date.
· 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
· 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.