COUNTER ATTACKS
2nd - The 'Eaters earned their 2nd Big West weekly honor of 2024 (Heisdorf) thanks to Emilie Castagna's 2nd career OPOTW
5 - UCI's 5 wins have all come with a goal in the first half; the team is also unbeaten
(4-0-2) when scoring in the 2nd half
 
THROW-INS
2019 - UCI's Sunday tie erasing a 2-goal deficit last happened in 2019 scoring twice in the final 10 minutes to tie at UCSB
3 - UCI's win vs. Fullerton was the 3rd come-from-behind victory in the last 3 years (2022 vs. Hawai'i, 2023 vs. Saint Mary's)

SET PIECES
1st - UCI became the 2nd team to beat a 1-seed in the first round in 2023, but is now the 1st to also reach the Sweet Sixteen
7 - UCI joins UNC, Florida State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, BYU, and Memphis as the 7 programs to reach the last 2 Sweet 16s

 
· The Anteaters picked up four points over their two matches last week against a pair of postseason contenders. UCI is alone in fourth in the Big West with 12 points at 3-2-3 and overall at 5-6-5.
· Emilie Castagna had a three-goal week. She scored twice in Thursday's win, her first career brace, and that included her first game-winning goal. She scored the game-tying goal Sunday at UC Davis.
· Mihaela Perez made a statement with a long-range goal Thursday to make it a 3-1 game. Perez's goal was the first of her career in her 55th match, and it came against Cal State Fullerton where her twin sister and former Anteater Jenae Perez also plays.
· Anteater freshmen have been called upon to play 4,249 minutes through 16 matches. Starting lineups have seen freshmen on 39 occasions spread out among the seven different 'Eaters.
· UC Irvine has been hit by injuries to key veteran players. Senior defender Suus de Bakker has been out since August with a leg injury, and midfielder Aislynn Crowder was lost to a leg injury at Cal Poly. Fifth-year Kiera Smeenge had a 26-match played streak snapped after an injury vs. CSU Bakersfield
· Anteater milestones continue to fall in 2024:
Þ Four Anteaters have eclipsed 70 career matches as an Anteater this season. Kiera Smeenge and Desiree Mendoza have each reached 70 career starts this season making it 19 'Eaters all-time with 70+
Þ Overall, 104 'Eaters all-time have played 50 matches for UCI with Emilie Castagna, Aislynn Crowder, and Mihaela Perez joining that club in the 2024 season
Þ Lawson Willis' has eclipsed 80 collegiate matches and surpassed 5,000 career minutes. Six 'Eaters now have over 3,000 minutes with the program, and Smeenge even surpassed 6,000 minutes last week

Black & Blue Rivalry
· UC Irvine and Long Beach State bring their rivalry to Anteater Stadium Sunday. Sunday will be the 34th matchup with UCI up on the series, 15-9-9, and unbeaten (3-0-3) in the last six matchups. 'Eaters are 9-3-3 at home against the Beach
· In 2023, the teams met twice, both to draws. UCI allowed a late equalizer to tie, 1-1, at LBSU in the regular season, and in the Big West First Round, it was a 0-0 draw that UCI advanced, 4-1, on a penalty shootout.
· The Beach are 6-8-2 this season. Their usual tough non-conference included home losses to No. 11 UCLA, No. 11 Santa Clara, and Washington adding a loss at No. 16 Texas and a home draw with No. 4 BYU. In Big West play, they've been up and down without the same result in consecutive matches. Notably, they've lost to CSUN, UCSB, UC Davis, and Fullerton while defeating Bakersfield, UCSD (4-3), and a draw with Cal Poly. The offense has a quartet of main contributors like Kassandra Ceja (5 G, 4 A), Makayla Demelo (4 G, 1 A), Liz Worden (3 G, 5 A), and Julia Moore (3 G, 2 A) and six different players with a game-winner. Transfer keeper Aurora Schuck has played every minute with 61 saves flanked by defenders Kana Uchida and Zoe Willis.

Breaking Down the Big West
· Following Thursday's slate, the Big West has two more matchdays. Two teams have clinched championship spots and two have been eliminated leaving four spots remaining with seven schools in pursuit. Thanks to tiebreakers, UC Irvine can clinch a postseason spot with a win Sunday, and a big help to that cause would be a draw or UC Davis win in the match earlier Sunday at Cal Poly.
· Tiebreaking scenarios start with head-to-head matchups. Next up is goal differential in Big West contests with the 'Eaters +3 (goal differential is capped at +/- 4). The process moves down the line next to least goals allowed in Big West matches (6), most goals scored in all 2024 matches (18), and then to record against common opponents starting with the first place team, then second place, and down the standings. In tiebreakers between more than two teams, the team with the most points in matchups vs. the other tied teams moves on