6th - UC Irvine won a share of its 6th Big West regular-season title in 2021, 2nd now under head coach Yossi Raz
16 - The program has played 16 matches in the Eastern Time Zone going 5-9-2 and under coach Raz is 2-3
1st - 1st career goals by Samuel Atiye and Diego Otoya, Mario Anaya's 1st point, and 1st minutes for Nolan DiCenzo all last week
 #1 - Coach Raz's 2019 recruiting class was ranked #1 in the nation with six on the 2021 roster and two now playing pro
3 - The Anteaters have played 3 opponents that were receiving votes in the national poll (UCLA, Missouri State, UCF)
4.8 - Keeper Luke Pruter averages 4.8 saves per start with 4 or more in 6 or 10 career starts and 4 times in 6 starts in 2022
 
· The week began with a tumultuous Friday matchup against UCF. With an impending hurricane bearing down, the match was moved up two hours. With a constant rainstorm falling throughout, a wild match finished 3-2 in favor of UCF. The 'Eaters equalized twice in the 32nd and 54th minutes before a 77th-minute header by UCF to complete the win
· UCI looked to right the ship with a win Monday hosting Saint Mary's and got off on the right foot with a goal in the second minute for the first lead of the season thanks to Francesco Montanile teaming up with Mario Anaya and Ricardo Ibarra. The team's first halftime lead dissolved rather quickly with three second-half goals in the span of 12 minutes for disheartening 3-1 defeat to the Gaels
· UC Irvine returns to the Eastern Time Zone for a fourth time in coach Raz's five seasons. The 'Eaters split a trip in 2017 losing at No. 9 Louisville and winning at Northern Kentucky. The 2018 'Eaters won at UCF in OT and began last year with losses at No. 5 Georgetown and Loyola Maryland for a 2-3 overall record. All-time as a program, UCI is 5-9-2 in the Eastern Time Zone and 2-1 all-time against America East schools going 1-1 against UMBC back in 1994 and 2006 and a 2002 win at home vs. Stony Brook who was a conference member until this season.
· First career goals rained down on Friday along with the weather. Freshman Diego Otoya got the first of the day in the 32nd minutes off Robert Mejia's first point at UCI. The freshman in his fifth career match was joined by transfer Samuel Atiye who scored in the 54th minute for his first career point in his 11th career game. Another first Monday was Mario Anaya's first career point with an assist.
· The week starts Friday at New Hampshire in a first meeting between the schools. The Wildcats began the season ranked ninth after a fifth straight NCAA Tournament berth and second trip to the Third Round in that time. Losses to No. 20 Maryland and Boston U knocked them out before winning vs. VCU and FIU and a loss Tuesday at Providence. Rory O'Driscoll leads with two goals and an assist as 1 of 4 Wildcats on the MAC Hermann Watch List (Yannick Bright, Jassem Koleilat, Tola Showunmi).
· Sunday in Burlington will see UCI take on Vermont, another 2021 NCAA Tournament team, picked to finish second in the conference behind UNH. The Catamounts are 4-1-1 after a big Tuesday win vs. Cornell, 2-1, where Israeli sophomore Yaniv Bazini scored his third goal of the season. His teammates earned the spotlight preseason with Alex Nagy, Noah Egan, and Nate Silveira all named to positional watch lists and Nagy and Egan on the MAC Hermann watch list.