WEEKLY MATCHUPS

UC Irvine Anteaters (3-2-4, 0-0 Big West) vs. UC Riverside Highlanders (0-7-1, 0-0 Big West)
Anteater Stadium (2,500) - Irvine, Calif.
Sunday - 1:00 PM | Live Stats

Parking Advisory
Match Notes
Promotional Schedule

COUNTER ATTACKS
21 - UCI's defense ranks top 21 in the NCAA in goals-against-average (21st) and save percentage (17th)
 
15 - Clara Samson scored 15 seconds into the half last match, both career goals for her have come in the first minute of a half

THROW-INS
400:13 - The Anteater shutout streak reached as high as 400:13 this season and enters the week currently at 106:50
 
1,088 - 2024 Freshmen played 5,003 minutes as a collective. The 2025 Anteater freshmen have put up 1,088 minutes to this point

SET PIECES
3-2-4 - UCI finished with a 3-2-4 non-conference record including a draw with Washington and wins over Washington State and GCU
 
105th - Mirayah Villalpando played her 50th career match on Senior Day, the 105th player with 50 Anteater matches

· UC Irvine split their matches last week in a pair of home matches against stiff competition:
+ Thursday night brought in Santa Clara for the first time since 2015. The sides were even most of the way before a 74th minute goal for the Broncos decided it, 1-0. Laurynn Ziller matched her career high with four saves including two spectacular tips over the bar
+ Sunday was Senior Day honoring UCI's nine seniors, and a win over Washington State, 2-0, helped in the cheers. Clara Samson opened the second half with a goal in just 15 seconds, and fifth-year senior Suus de Bakker towered to head home the second goal in the 82nd minute. The match featured 40 total fouls and nine cautions including a red card to WSU late
· The week's big performance came from Ella Colombini who had the primary assist on each of Sunday's goals setting up Samson with the long lead pass and dropping a perfect cross to de Bakker. Her four assists on the year lead the team with six points tied for the lead. She's up to five career assists and seven points
· Mihaela Perez was instrumental setting up Colombini on each goal giving her a pair of assists Sunday as well. She now has eight in her career and 10 points with those her first two of 2025
· Notable milestones from the week begin with Mirayah Villalpando playing her 50th career match on Senior Day, she's the 105th 'Eater to reach that mark. Other milestones came from Mihaela Perez attaining 5,000 career minutes and Ivy Williams reaching 2,000 minutes. Next up is Suus de Bakker who stands 123 minutes from 4,000
· UCI continues to stand tall in net as Laurynn Ziller picked up her third shutout and the team's fifth. As a team, UCI has put up a 0.44 goals-against-average and saved 88.9% of shots
Assessing The Big West
· Conference play begins this week with almost everyone playing their first match. The 'Eaters have a .556 win percentage, fourth-best in the non-conference with the likes of Cal State Fullerton (6-0-1), UC Santa Barbara (7-1-1), and Cal Poly (2-0-7) fairing better. The best early-season results might be UCI's draw with Washington along with Cal Poly drawing with BYU
· Scoring leaders start with Cal Poly's Jessie Halladay with five as the Mustangs and UC Santa Barbara each have 16 goals through nine matches. Cal State Fullerton has the highest scoring average and boasts an equally-impressive defense with Isaac Ranson posting a 0.46 GAA.

Sunday vs. the Highlanders
· UC Riverside concluded non-conference play Thursday with just their second home match, a 2-1 loss against LMU. To this point, UCR is winless at 0-7-1 with the draw coming against UTEP in their other home match. The 2024 Highlanders were winless in Big West play a year ago going 2-13-4 overall.
· UC Irvine won the matchup last year, 1-0, in the regular season finale helping UCI clinch a postseason spot. UCI is 5-0-1 recently in the series growing their series lead to 18-4-2. UCI is 10-1-1 in matches at Anteater Stadium with the one loss coming in 2004
· The Highlanders are led on the stat sheet by junior Sanaa Guyness having played the most minutes and put up the most shots and shots on goal. Jayla Justice joins her with over 600 minutes while Finley Aghassi completes the trio as the only three that have started all eight. Junior Trinity Hale has spent the most time in net stopping 21 shots and has a shutout. UCR has allowed 21 goals while scoring once which came Thursday on an own goal