Saturday, October 13
Northridge, CA
7:00 pm
UC Riverside
at
Cal State Northridge
Photo by: Gabriel L. Acosta
Men's Soccer Looks To Return To Winning Ways At #21 Cal State Northridge
10/10/2012 10:27:00 AM | Men's Soccer
| Oct. 13 | 7:00 pm | at Cal State Northridge | Live Stats | Purchase Tickets |
Northridge, CA—The UC Riverside Men's Soccer Team is looking to return to its winning ways this weekend with a Saturday, October 13 match at #21 Cal State Northridge. Kickoff is slated for 7pm PT.
This is the third straight road match for the Highlanders who have dropped four of their last five matches after starting the year with a perfect 7-0-0 mark. Last weekend, UCR lost 1-0 decisions to UC Davis (box score/recap) and Sacramento State (box score/recap).
After scoring 19 goals in their first six matches, the Highlanders have dented the back of the net just five times in their last six and been shut out three times.
Cal State Northridge has won seven out of its past eight matches and finds itself ranked nationally for the first time since Sept. 21, 2009. The Matadors are ranked 21st by Soccer times and 24th by College Soccer News and the NSCAA.
CSUN currently sits atop the Big West South Division standings with UC Riverside two games back in second place. Northridge goalkeeper Michael Abalos was honored as defensive player of the week, after completing his fourth and fifth shutouts of the season.
The Matadors owned the season series with the Highlanders prior to 2010 with a 12-0-6 mark in 18 matches. But UC Riverside has won each of the past two matches, including last season's come-from-behind, 2-1 victory that saw the Highlanders score two goals in the final 2:52 to come away with the win (box score/recap/video highlights).
| Highlanders vs. Matadors Match Capsule | ||
| UC Riverside | Cal State Northridge | |
| 2012 Record & Stats | 8-4-0, 1-3-0 | 9-4-0, 3-1-0 |
| Schedule | Schedule | |
| Roster | Roster | |
| Conference | Big West | |
| Current Streak | L 2 | W 2 |
|
Most Recent Box Score |
L, 1-0 Sacramento State | W, 1-0 UC Santa Barbara |
| Next Opponent | Oct. 17 vs. UC Irvine | Oct. 17 vs. Cal State Fullerton |
| Top Scorer |
Aaron
Long Junior 4 goals, 1 assist 9 points |
Sagi
Lev-Ari Sophomore 10 goals, 0 assist 20 points |
|
Top Keeper |
Ashkan
Khosravi Freshman 12 matches 44 svs, 1.10 gaa |
Michael
Abalos Senior 12 matches 36 svs, .74 gaa |
|
All-Time Record vs. |
2-12-6 (All-Time Results) | |
| Current Streak | W 2 | |
GAME NOTES
UNDEFEATED
UC Riverside won its first seven matches of the 2012 season, and was one of only six teams in the nation with unblemished records heading into the weekend of September 21-23, but a 2-0 loss to CSU Bakersfield ended the Highlanders perfect run.
HEADED TO THE POLLS
| Week Of ... |
Soccer America |
Soccer Times |
NSCAA |
College Soccer News |
Top Drawer Soccer |
| Preseason | |||||
| Aug. 27 | RV | RV | |||
| Sept. 3 | RV | RV | RV | ||
| Sept. 10 | RV | 25 | 30 | ||
| Sept. 17 | 25 | 23 | 19 | 24 | |
| Sept. 24 | RV | 24 | 24 | ||
| Oct. 1 | RV | RV | 26 | ||
| Oct. 7 |
FIRING BLANKS
The last time the Highlanders recorded consecutive shutouts prior to this season was October 10 and 13, 2007 when they blanked Cal State Fullerton 1-0 and played to a scoreless tie at Cal State Northridge.
UC Riverside has never recorded three straight shutouts.
The Highlanders broke the program's Division I era record for consecutive shutout minutes by holding the opposition scoreless for 290 minutes and eight second spanning four matches and dating back to the end of the 2011 season.
The Highlanders already have five shutouts in 2012 after recording three shutouts in all of 2011. The team record for shutouts in a season is six set in 2006.
LENDING A HELPING FOOT
The Highlanders recorded 25 assists during the 2010 season which is the most in the Division I history of the program. They tied that mark in 2011, and already have 25 assists in 12 matches in 2012.
| Single-Season Team Assists | ||
| 25 | 2010 | |
| 25 | 2010 | |
| 25 | 2012 | |
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
UC Riverside's 28 goals in 2011 tied the program's Division I era record originally set by the 2004 squad. The Highlanders have 24 goals in just 12 matches so far in 2012.
| Single-Season Team Goals | ||
| 28 | 2004 | |
| 28 | 2011 | |
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
With a 7-1-0 mark in non-conference matches in 2012, the Highlanders set the program record for non-conference wins in a season established a year ago. In 2011, UC Riverside finished the season with a 5-2-1 record against non-Big West opponents which gave the Highlanders just their second winning record during their non-conference season during the team's Division I history (2007, 3-2-2).
A NEW SET OF GOALS
Last season, senior Cesar Diaz-Pizarro scored 32.1 percent (9 of 28) of the team's goals, leaving the Highlanders in need of some replacement scoring for 2012.
UCR has used a balanced attack thus far on the offensive side of the pitch as 11 different players are responsible for the Highlanders 25 goals on the season. Aaron Long and Ruben Valencia each have four goals lead the squad.
POSTSEASON PLAY
The Highlanders advanced to their first-ever Big West Tournament last year, setting Division I era records for wins in the process. They were shut out of the NCAA Tournament, however, despite an RPI of 39.
RPI
The Highlanders rose to as high as 30th in the nation a year ago based on the NCAA's RPI rankings which is the highest the program has ever been ranked.
MEAT IN THE SEATS
Attendance at UC Riverside home matches in 2011 was already up before a crowd of 2,016 saw the team upset #7 UC Santa Barbara on October 28, 2011 by a 3-1 score.
That total more than tripled the previous benchmark of 638 set on November 3, 2010 in a 1-0 win over UC Davis. It also pushed UCR's season attendance past the previous program record of 3,036 set in 2010.
At the next home match, the Highlanders had 852 in attendance—the second highest total in school history—as they squared off against #7 UC Irvine. UCR finished the year averaging a program best 773 fans per contest..
FEELING A LITTLE RANK
The Highlanders 3-1 win over #7 UC Santa Barbara on September 28, 2011 was the program's third win against a ranked opponent in the 10-plus year Division I history of the program. A few weeks later, they picked up their fourth-ever win against top-25 competition as they beat #15 UCSB, 3-2 on the road. And on October 29, they added a third win over a ranked opponent upsetting #9 UC Irvine on the road, 3-2.
UC Riverside's first win against a ranked opponent was a 2-0 decision at #21 San Diego State on September 4, 2007. They followed that up with a 2-1 victory over #7 UC Davis on October 18, 2008.
Thursday, May 21
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