Anteater Update: August 17

August 17, 2026

• The first competitive action of the 2026-27 school year came from women's soccer who opened at home vs. Utah Tech last Wednesday with a 1-1 draw. The 'Eaters also hosted a pair of exhibition matches with a 0-0 draw vs. Big XII side Arizona followed by a 5-1 win against University Drive rival Concordia Irvine. Coming up next is a trip to face the No. 1 team in the nation and the 2025 NCAA runner-up, Stanford, Sunday at 1:00 p.m..

• Men's basketball took off on their journey back to the William Jones Cup in Taiwan after winning the tournament back in 2023. UCI plays six pool play matches before the medal rounds begin on August 21 against teams from Chinese Taipei, Japan, Philippines, Jordan, and Malaysia. The ‘Eaters are three games in securing wins over Chinese Taipei’s White team (88-67), Jordan (84-66), and Malaysia (87-55), and will play each one of them again on August 18 and 19 ahead of the medal rounds.

• Women's volleyball will host Concordia in their second and final exhibition match this Saturday, Aug. 22. First serve is set for 3 p.m. at the Bren Events Center. Admission is complimentary.

• Men's soccer has also played some exhibitions starting last week when they went to UCLA and came away with a 1-0 victory on a 64th-minute goal by Zac Smuck. UCI hosted a semi-pro side defeating them in a scrimmage-style matchup. Next on the horizon are the real matches starting Thursday, August 20 in Anteater Stadium with No. 19 Oregon State coming to town for a 6:00 p.m. kickoff. UCI will also host LMU on Monday, August 24, at 6:00 p.m. in its opening week.