UC Riverside
Iona
Men's Soccer Opens 2013 Season This Weekend With Home Matches vs. Iona And Marist
8/30/2013 11:06:00 AM | Men's Soccer
| August 30 | 7:00 pm | vs. Iona | Live Stats | Call (951) 827-4653 For Tickets |
| September 1 | 2:00 pm | vs. Marist | Live Stats | Call (951) 827-4653 For Tickets |
Riverside, CA—The UC Riverside Men's Soccer Team begins its 2013 regular season this weekend with a pair of home matches—Friday, August 30 at 7 pm PT vs. Iona, and Sunday, September 1 at 2 pm vs. Marist.
The Highlanders topped California Baptist University, 2-1 in overtime, in their lone preseason match. Otis Earle scored the game-winner in the 97th minute of play to give UC Riverside the victory (box score/recap).
UCR traveled to Iona and Marist to kick off the 2012 season picking up a 3-0 win over Marist and a 1-0 victory over Iona. Goalkeeper Ashkan Khosravi was named Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the pair of shutouts (press release).
| Highlanders vs. Gaels and Red Foxes Match Capsules | ||||||
| Â | UC Riverside | Iona | Marist | |||
| 2012 Record & Stats | 10-8-0 | 7-11-0 | 5-10-1 | |||
| Schedule | Schedule | Schedule | ||||
| Roster | Roster | Roster | ||||
| Conference | Big West | MAAC | MAAC | |||
| Current Streak | L 1 | L 2 | L 5 | |||
| Most Recent Box Score |
L, 2-1 vs. Cal State Fullerton |
L, 1-0 vs. Loyola (MAAC Tourney) |
L, 3-1 at SIena |
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| Next Opponent |
September 6 vs. Georgia State at UNLV Tournament |
September 1 at UC Irvine |
September 7 at Villanova |
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Top Returning Scorer 2012 Stats x x x x |
 |
Aaron Long Senior 6 goals, 1 assist 13 points |
 |
Franklin Castellanos Senior 2 goals, 6 assists 10 points |
 |
Evan Southworth Senior 4 goals, 2 assists 10 points |
|
Top Returning Goalkeeper 2012 Stats x x x x |
 |
Ashkan Khosravi Sophomore 18 matches 1.40 GAA, 67 saves |
|
N/A |
 |
Anthony Sokalski Senior 15 matches 1.48 GAA, 63 saves |
| All-Time Record vs. | 1-0-0 (All-Time Results) | 1-0-0 (All-Time Results) | ||||
| Current Streak | W 1 | W 1 | ||||
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.
BACK-TO-BACK
The Highlanders recorded their first-ever winning season as a Division I program in 2011, and made it back-to-back winning campaigns in 2012 posting a 10-8-0 mark. Those 10 victories also established a Division I-era, single-season record for the program.
HEADED TO THE POLLS
The Highlanders received their highest-ever national rankings last season, rising as high as 19th in the NSCAA poll.
| 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 Highlanders broke the program's Division I era record for consecutive shutout minutes a year ago by holding the opposition scoreless for 290 minutes and eight seconds spanning four matches and dating back to the end of the 2011 campaign.
UC Riverside recorded five shutouts in the team's first seven matches in 2012, but didn't record a shutout over the final 11 matches of the year.
LENDING A HELPING FOOT
The Highlanders 40 assists during the 2012 season smashed the program record for the most in the Division I history of the program, besting the 2010 and 2011 squads which recorded 25 assists each.
| Single-Season Team Assists | ||
| 40 | 2012 | |
| 25 | 2010 | |
| 25 | 2011 | |
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
UC Riverside's 37 goals in 2012 also obliterated the program's Division I era record originally set by the 2004 squad and later tied by the 2011 version.
| Single-Season Team Goals | ||
| 37 | 2012 | |
| 28 | 2004 | |
| 28 | 2011 | |
EZ-PASS
Juan Mendoza, Eric Gonzalez and Otis Earle each found their way into UC Riverisde's single-season assist records list finishing tied for first (8), tied for third (7) and fifth (6) respectively.
THREE OF A KIND
Juan Mendoza was credited with three assists in the Highlanders 4-1 victory over UC Irvine on October 17, 2012 becoming just the fourth player in the Division I history of the program to accomplish the feat.
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 the previous season when UC Riverside finished the non-conference portion of their season with a 5-2-1 mark.
A NEW SET OF GOALS
In 2011, 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 used a balanced attack on the offensive side of the pitch last year as 14 different players were responsible for the Highlanders 37 goals.
POSTSEASON PLAY
The Highlanders advanced to their first-ever Big West Tournament in 2011, setting what was then the Division I era record 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 in 2011 based on the NCAA's RPI rankings which is the highest the program has ever been ranked.
