Friday, October 4
Riverside, CA
6:00 pm
UC Riverside
3
vs
1
Cal State Northridge
Photo by: Gabriel L. Acosta
Women's Soccer Opens Big West Play With 3-1 Victory Over Cal State Northridge
10/4/2013 8:53:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Riverside—The UC Riverside Women's Soccer Team welcomed Cal State Northridge to the Inland Empire Friday evening for the first Big West Conference match of the season for both clubs, and the Highlanders offense erupted for three goals in a 3-1 victory over the Matadors (Box Score).
It is the most goals the Highlanders (4-7-1, 1-0-0) have scored in a match this season, and their most since a 3-2 overtime win over Pacific on October 26, 2012 (box score/recap). The last time UC Riverside won a conference match by two or more goals was on October 27, 2011 in a 3-1 victory against these same Matadors (box score/recap).
The weather played a big role Friday as 20 to 30 mile an hour winds with gusts up to 60 miles per hour blew from the north to the south end of the stadium for the entire match. UCR won the coin toss to start the match, and opted to play with the wind at their backs for the first 45 minutes of play.
The Highlanders controlled the ball for most of the period, and Sammy Arellano and Danielle Giltner got them on the board early. A Matadors (5-7-0, 0-1-0) foul just outside their box and just off the end line gave Arellano a free kick, and the freshman found Giltner in the center of the box rising above the defense for a header that gave UC Riverside its first goal in more than 310 minutes.
Arellano made it a 2-0 UCR lead at the 39 minute mark as Kaitlin Anzalone and Alina Cheatham strung together passes for a run straight up the field and Arellano beat the Matadors keeper to the right side of the goal.
Despite losing the wind advantage in the second period, the Highlanders continued to be aggressive keeping the ball on the ground to push the ball into the Matadors end of the field. Breanna Avila scored her first goal of the season in the 54th minute of play picking the ball out of a scrum in front of the CSUN goal for a 3-0 Highlanders advantage.
Cal State Northridge brought in some additional offensive-minded players following the Avila score, and with 27:13 remaining in the match, Taylor Hobson's first goal of the year cut the UCR lead to two.
That was as close as the Matadors would get, however, and the Highlanders had their first win of the conference season in hand. The last time UCR began Big West play 1-0 was in 2007 when they topped Cal Poly 2-1 in double overtime.
It is the most goals the Highlanders (4-7-1, 1-0-0) have scored in a match this season, and their most since a 3-2 overtime win over Pacific on October 26, 2012 (box score/recap). The last time UC Riverside won a conference match by two or more goals was on October 27, 2011 in a 3-1 victory against these same Matadors (box score/recap).
The weather played a big role Friday as 20 to 30 mile an hour winds with gusts up to 60 miles per hour blew from the north to the south end of the stadium for the entire match. UCR won the coin toss to start the match, and opted to play with the wind at their backs for the first 45 minutes of play.
The Highlanders controlled the ball for most of the period, and Sammy Arellano and Danielle Giltner got them on the board early. A Matadors (5-7-0, 0-1-0) foul just outside their box and just off the end line gave Arellano a free kick, and the freshman found Giltner in the center of the box rising above the defense for a header that gave UC Riverside its first goal in more than 310 minutes.
Arellano made it a 2-0 UCR lead at the 39 minute mark as Kaitlin Anzalone and Alina Cheatham strung together passes for a run straight up the field and Arellano beat the Matadors keeper to the right side of the goal.
Despite losing the wind advantage in the second period, the Highlanders continued to be aggressive keeping the ball on the ground to push the ball into the Matadors end of the field. Breanna Avila scored her first goal of the season in the 54th minute of play picking the ball out of a scrum in front of the CSUN goal for a 3-0 Highlanders advantage.
Cal State Northridge brought in some additional offensive-minded players following the Avila score, and with 27:13 remaining in the match, Taylor Hobson's first goal of the year cut the UCR lead to two.
That was as close as the Matadors would get, however, and the Highlanders had their first win of the conference season in hand. The last time UCR began Big West play 1-0 was in 2007 when they topped Cal Poly 2-1 in double overtime.
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