IRVINE, Calif. --- An entertaining scoreless draw was what fans got at Anteater Stadium Sunday night between UC Irvine and CSU Bakersfield in the first home Big West match for UCI.
FORTUNE'S KEEP
From the early going, goalkeeping was on display Sunday night. The match's opening shot in the fourth minute was a set piece from distance that
Amber Huff put dead center on frame, but CSUB (3-6-2, 1-1-1) keeper Hollie Hercik bobbled but caught for the save. The Roadrunners followed with a shot on goal to start their match that UCI keeper
Glo Hinojosa needed to leap and snag to keep out of the top corner.
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The sequence of the match came in the first half in the heart of the 25th minute. Bakersfield was on the attack led by a lead pass up to Jette Zimmer on the far side of the box unmarked, and she would chest it down and lace a point-blank shot that Hinojosa got a mitt on. The rebound fell to another Roadrunner bearing down on the net, but Hinojosa sprung to make the second save keeping it a 0-0 match.
"Right there, honestly I"m not thinking. It's reaction and doing whatever I can so the ball doesn't go into the back of the net," Hinojosa noted dissecting her fantastic skill on the double save.
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The rest of the half wound down with the Anteaters posting the shot advantage of 7-4, but just the one on frame while Hinojosa would deny all four CSUB shots.
SAVING GRACE
The second half was Hercik's time to shine with UC Irvine coming with a full-on assault. The Runners got their chances, but UC Irvine (4-3-4, 1-1-1) held court with 12 of the 14 second half shots.
The best two chances were UCI's first two starting in the 48th minute. Up the left wing came the attack with a feed to
Desiree Mendoza who took the space and skipped a low, line-drive shot ad Hercik who had already started her dive. The short-hop shot back with Hercik needing to kick her leg out to make the save.
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The Anteaters kept coming with four more shots in the first 10 minutes of the half. The second prime opportunity arose in the 57th minute off a set piece. A brilliant feed toward the far post was muffed by Hercik, and
Suus de Bakker ready to clean up, but Hercik flashed back on net for a spectacular stop and still a 0-0 scoreline.
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The defenses began to lock down without a real chance down the rest of the half.
Sophie Gillies provided a back heel flick into the side netting in the 73rd minute right after a shot on goal of her own, but the match was destined for zeroes.
FINAL SCORE: UC IRVINE 0, CSU BAKERSFIELD 0
The 'Eaters are now three points in three Big West matches with draws of 2-2, 1-1, and now 0-0. UCI is still unbeaten in matches against CSUB, two wins and one draw all-time.
Both sides collected six saves with Hinojosa leading the way and securing her fourth shutout of the season and 14th of her career. Hercik on the other side earned five with her defense adding the sixth.
"If I'm doing my part back there, my teammates will be backing me up," boasted Hinojosa on her performance. "Inches is what coach says and I know we're right there, and if I keep doing what I'm doing, it will come."
Pitching in on the shutout were defender
Maddy Chavez and midfielder
Gianna Creighton, both participating in their 50th career matches - the 91st and 92nd Anteaters all-time joining
Destinee Manzo who hit the mark in Thursday's match.
Also hitting a milestone was the Anteater coaching staff, namely assistants
P.J. Woolridge and
Danielle de Seriere who coached in their 150th matches as a unit under head coach
Scott Juniper and UC Irvine women's soccer. The staff is the second-longest tenured among California programs, and together have a record of 69-61-20.
Big West play continues with UCI on the road for its next match at UC Riverside on Thursday, September 29, for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. The Highlanders themselves have an impressive streak of ties at the moment drawing in their last six matchups.
"I think we're ok. We're picking ourselves up each game, we're getting better, there's more and more things we're doing that we put into practice, and it's going to continue for us."
