IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine men's soccer had been scuffling on offense through five matches, but found it and more as they dispatched Dixie State, 5-0, Sunday afternoon in Anteater Stadium.
HEAD OVER HEELS
The match saw scoring early starting in the sixth minute as the Anteaters (1-4-1) connected on a corner kick.
Oscar Delgado whipped a ball to the far post finding
Kwabena Boateng to dive and head a ball home to make it 1-0, UCI.
UC Irvine continued to push the envelope building and creating chances throughout the half with nine of the 10 shots, but nothing would fall until late in the half.
Kelvin Neumetzler started the charge forcing a turnover near midfield and drove ahead. He fed fellow sub
Victor Sandsmark-Evensen on the wing who crossed it back on goal that Neumetzler tapped in for the 2-0 lead in the 42nd minute.
Right before the half,
Jake Means had an eye for the ball chasing it around the box, sliding in, and swiping the ball from keeper Levi Lord and putting home just before the whistle to make it 3-0 at the half.
MANIC MINUTE
The second half saw a lot more from Dixie State (1-4-0) possessing in the UCI third and firing up shots. DSU's top threat Dan Brubaker hovered around the box with a pair of shots as the Trailblazers fired up 13 shots in the half, but the 'Eaters were the ones that finally broke through midway into the half.
Anteater possession knocked it around the offensive half, and
Beto Alvarenga pushed a pass out wide to
Axel Adler who took the ball to the touchline and delivered a sharp cross. The ball found a way through the goalmouth on to
Oscar Delgado near the left post to volley a shot on frame and in off a defender upping the lead to 4-0 in the 73rd minute.
The lead quickly grew just 18 seconds later as Dixie State misplayed a ball in their own half off the kickoff, and Neumetzler pounced driving to goal and finishing 1v1 around the keeper for a 5-0 scoreline.
FINAL SCORE: UC IRVINE 5, DIXIE STATE 0
The 'Eaters had to fight to preserve the shutout as the Trailblazers came hard in the 88th minute. UCI had lifted starting keeper
Gordon Botterill in the 78th minute for
Luke Pruter making his debut, and he made an easy save early on, but was tested in the 89th minute as the Trailblazers had a shot blocked, another hit the post, and then the final rebound found Daniel Shumov on the doorstep fire on goal that Pruter swatted above his head and out to keep from a goal. Pruter finished with two of the team's five saves as Botterill collected three along with the win for his first as an Anteater. Joining Pruter in players earning their first collegiate minutes was freshman
Roman Warren playing down the stretch.
The four different goalscorers all punched their ticket for the first time in their careers both on goals and points. Boateng's goal went down as the game-winner in the sixth minute.
"We spent a lot of time practicing that exact play so everybody knew where they needed to be including me, and the ball got served in and was fortunate it fell right to me; I couldn't believe my eyes. I snatched it as quickly as I could, and I was happy I could finally provide the breakthrough the team needed that pushed us through the rest of the game."
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Kelvin Neumetzler scored his first two career goals and his first career points with the brace on Sunday.
"We all pressed really well at the top together, something we've been working on as a team, and we made the defender make a mistake, cut from there, and try to slice it into the goal with the keeper coming out." It was very similar to his first goal getting a little help from Sandsmark-Evensen on the cross which turned out to be his first career assist and point as well.
Jake Means' goal right before the half really put a stamp on the half for the 'Eaters.
"The past few years in academy, that's all I used to do. When I saw them go straight back to the keeper and he was a little shaky, I knew this was my time."
Means timed it perfectly to create his goal, also the first goal and points of his career. Means had scored in extra time in the exhibition matchup against Cal Poly Pomona this year as well.
Oscar Delgado left Sunday's match as the only player with a goal and an assist, the first of each in his career for the Inland Empire native. His teammate mentioned Delgado said before the game he was going to score today, and he followed through on that.
"When the ball came to me, I said I'm going to score. I always have that mindset every game."
The Anteaters as a team broke through for their first win of 2021 now 1-4-1 on the season, and not only the five goals scored after just one total in the first four matches, but the defensive effort and clean sheet added up to a complete victory that the pair of fourth-year 'Eaters, Delgado and Neumetzler, both took away from Sunday.
"I think it was a really good team performance; not even the players you saw on the field, but we've all been working really hard on and off the field. The chemistry has been coming, we're a pretty new team, and I think we've been doing so well building chemistry and sticking together even with the rough first few matches."
"It's been coming. We've had a drought of goals, and today we popped it off our chest. Now our mission is rolling, always improving every day, and now no one can write us off because we're a good team."
The five goals match the highest output for a
Yossi Raz-coached team dating back to his first-ever win with the program in 2017 downing Northern Kentucky, 5-2. It's the highest home total for the 'Eaters under Raz and largest margin of victory. The last five-goal game and home was also the last five-goal margin of victory for the 'Eaters coming late in the 2010 season when UCI beat Cal State Fullerton, 7-2.
Thoughts from Head Coach Yossi Raz
"I'm very happy for the group as today we got to enjoy the hard work invested into the process. Many great moments to celebrate - five different players got their first official points in the program, two others played their first college minutes - I'm proud of the resiliency and how united they stayed during the last few weeks."
"We keep improving and I beleive that we have more growth to do before Big West starts. Thus, we need to stay committed to the process which everyone in the locker room understands. Nevertheless, today was fun and much needed."
TRAVEL GUIDES
Men's soccer heads out now for three straight road matches to finish non-conference play. Next up is a trip to San Diego on Wednesday, September 15, to take on the Toreros at 7:00 p.m. The road stretch will continue on to UNLV Sunday night, September 19, and to top-25 Stanford, Thursday, September 23, for the ninth and final non-conference contest. The next home match for UCI will be Wednesday, September 29, as Big West play will commence hosting UC Riverside.
