THROW-INS
9th - UCI's draw with No. 8 Creighton marks the 9th result in program history against a program ranked 8th or higher
1 - For a second straight week, the Anteaters are receiving exactly 1 vote in the United Soccer Coaches weekly national poll
5th - UCI claimed Big West Freshman of the Week a 5th time since 2021 via Mauricio Gutierrez's game-winner Sunday
 #1 - Coach Raz's 2019 recruiting class was ranked #1 in the nation with four on the 2023 roster and two now playing pro
11th - This is UCI's 11th match in the Northeast with UVM and UNH last year, and others like Georgetown, St. John's, & Providence
10 - The Anteaters have put up 10 or more shots in each match while allowing under 10 shots each match to opponents
 
· The week began on the road with a comeback win ending a drought that spanned 47 matches dating back to 2014; the last time UCI won a match they had trailed heading into the half with help from Isaac Powell's first career goal and point
· Luke Pruter celebrated a birthday with a win over Gonzaga and became the 12th Anteater in program history collecting his 100th career save. He's jumped into UCI's top-10 now ninth with 31 career matches played
· Jake Means continues to lead the team in points and after goals at Omaha and vs. Gonzaga and an assist vs. Stanford, his three-match point streak ended Monday.
· Mauricio Gutierrez made his debut and scored his first career point all in one week. His game-winner vs. Gonzaga helped claim Big West Freshman of the Week
· Other firsts have come from Brady Treinen recording his first match, start, and point this year. Isaac Powell made his first start vs. Saint Mary's to go with his first career goal and point at Omaha. Third-year 'Eater Noah Clarkson made his long-awaited debut vs. UNLV scoring his first goal and point 21 minutes after entering the match. Other debuts have included second-year Justin Conyers and grad transfer making his UCI debut, Christian Gomez

Team Accomplishments
· UCI began the season with its best start under head coach Yossi Raz unbeaten in their first four matches, three wins, two shutouts, and a draw vs. No. 8 Creighton
· The 'Eaters welcomed two top-10 programs into Anteater Stadium drawing with No. 8 Creighton and falling by one goal to No. 1 Stanford. The match vs. Stanford drew 1,201 fans, the largest men's soccer crowd since 2014

Saturday vs. the Bulldogs
· The first-ever meeting between UC Irvine and Yale on the soccer field will happen Saturday at Reese Stadium in New Haven, Connecticut. UCI has faced Ivy League competition three prior times with a neutral-site draw vs. Brown in 2007, 3-0 win against them at home in 2018, and a neutral site win over Princeton in 2009.
· Yale is coming off a fourth straight winning season that included a trip to the NCAAs in 2019. They're off to a 1-3 start with just two goals coming in a win vs. UConn and shutout losses to West Virginia, at UMass, and at SMU.
· The Bulldogs return key defenders Jake Schaffer and All-Ivy League TJ Presthus. Eric Lagos has the two goals for the squad projected fourth in the Ivy League.