IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine women's soccer got back in the win column Sunday in Anteater Stadium with a pair of first-half goals and lockdown defense to dispatch Sacramento State, 2-0.
UC IRVINE 2, SACRAMENTO STATE 0
- Neither side could get a clean look early on with shots from distance and through traffic put up
- The breakthrough came in the 25th minute with the Anteaters charging. A clearance fell to Erin Covey who chested the ball down and fed Desiree Mendoza who created space and whipped a shot around the diving keeper and inside the far post for the 1-0 advantage
- The 'Eaters didn't wait long to add to it with excellent passing through the midfield to get the ball to Laila El Behery who drove and put one inside the right post for a 2-0 lead in the 27th minute.
- Marissa LeVine nearly made it a third in the 43rd minute as she wound up from nearly 40 yards out and blasted a shot off the crossbar
- UCI's defense was on point not allowing a shot on target in the first half
- UCI continued to push for more in the second half led by Suus de Bakker on the end of crosses and touching them just wide of the net
- Sac State made an all-out effort down the stretch with nine second-half shots, but Glo Hinojosa was on her game stopping three on target for the clean sheet
- Mendoza put home her first goal of the season to go along with three assists; she now has eight career goals with six of them game-winners
- El Behery scored for the second consecutive match giving her six for her career
- Assists on the day were from Erin Covey, her second on the year and third in her career. Emilie Castagna, first of the season and third as an Anteater, and Tati Fung, now with assists in two straight matches, six in her career, and eight in her college career
- Hinojosa's three saves give her 183 in her career, and more importantly wraps up her 23rd career shutout
- The win for Hinojosa is No. 30 as she becomes just the fourth Anteater keeper to reach 30 career wins
- Making her Anteater debut in the match was grad transfer Madison Goerlinger as she played 28 minutes
- UCI had its lowest corner output of the season with five after entering averaging 8.6 per match, top 15 in the nation
UCI improves to 3-2-1 on the season unbeaten in their last two while Sac State is now 2-3-1 and 1-3-1 against the Big West. The 'Eaters played their last home match until September 21 as their next three will be on the road starting Thursday, September 7 at Oregon State with a 5:00 p.m. kickoff on the Pac-12 Network.
