UC Riverside
UCLA
Men's Soccer Travels To #11 UCLA Thursday, Hosts Incarnate Word Sunday
9/24/2013 10:07:00 AM | Men's Soccer
| Sept. 26 | 7:00 pm | at UCLA | Â Audio | Live Stats | Purchase Tickets |
| Sept. 29 | 4:00 pm | vs. Incarnate Word | Live Stats | Call (951) 827-4653 Tickets |
Los Angeles, CA—The UC Riverside Men's Soccer Team faces its toughest test of the season to date as the Highlanders try to remain among the ranks of the unbeaten when they visit No. 11 UCLA at 7 pm PT, and host Incarnate Word on Sunday at 4 pm.
The Highlanders kept their undefeated season intact over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over UNLV (Box Score/Recap/Video Recap). Goalkeeper KC John racked up a season-high six saves giving him 11 for the week and garnering him Big West defensive Player of the Week honors (September 16-22) (Full Story).
UCLA is coming off a 4-2 win over No. 3 Cal State Northridge this past Sunday handing the Matadors their first loss of the season.
The Bruins vs. Highlanders match on Thursday will mark the fourth time the two programs have met. The Bruins won each of the first three including their most recent meeting on September 9, 2010, which resulted in a 2-1 overtime loss for UCR (Box Score/Recap).
Incarnate Word enters the week with a 2-3-2 record following a 3-1 victory over UM Kansas City this past Saturday. It is the Cardinals first full season as a Division I program. Sunday's meeting will be the first time Incarnate Word and the Highlanders have faced each other.
| Highlanders vs. Bruins & Cardinals Match Capsules | ||||||
| UC Riverside | UCLA | Incarnate Word | ||||
| 2013 Record & Stats | 5-0-2 | 4-2-1 | 2-3-0 | |||
| Schedule | Schedule | Schedule | ||||
| Roster | Roster | Roster | ||||
| Conference | Big West | PAC 12 | Independent | |||
| Current Streak | W 1 | W 1 | W 1 | |||
| Most Recent Box Score | W, 2-1 vs. UNLV | W, 4-2 at CSUN | W, 3-1 vs. UMKC | |||
| Next Opponent | October 4 at Cal Poly | October 5 at San Diego State | October 4 at University of Dayton | |||
|
Top Scorer 2013 Stats x x x x |
 |
Romario Lomeli Freshman 3 goals, 1 assist 7 points |
 |
Leo Stolz Junior 4 goals, 1 assist 9 points |
 |
Alejandro De La Garza Junior 2 goals, 1 assist 5 points |
|
Top Goalkeeper 2013 Stats x x x x |
 |
KC John Junior 7 matches 0.54 GAA, 25 saves |
 |
Earl Edwards Jr. Junior 7 matches 1.37 GAA, 18 saves |
 |
Jarred Kahan Senior 5 matches 1.58 GAA, 19 saves |
| All-Time Record vs. | 0-3-0 (All-Time Results) | 0-0-0 (All-Time Results) | ||||
| Current Streak vs. | L 3 | |||||
GAME NOTES
UNBEATEN
It's deja vu all over again as for the second season in a row, the Highlanders are undefeated through their first seven matches of the season and one of just 15 teams without a loss in 2013. Last year, UC Riverside won its first seven matches, 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.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
If defense truly wins championships, the Highlanders are setting themselves up for a fantastic season. UC Riverside has allowed just four goals in seven matches on the season for a goals against average of 0.54. That ranks 13th in the nation. KC John has played every minute between the pipes for UCR this season, and his individual goals against average is 13th lowest in the country.
HEADED TO THE POLLS
The Highlanders received their highest-ever national rankings last season, rising as high as 19th in the NSCAA poll. In the September 9, 2013 TopDrawerSoccer poll, UC Riverisde was receiving consideration for the first time this season, and for the week of September 16, the Highlanders received votes in the Soccer Times and NSCAA.Continental Tire polls.
| (2012) 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 |
| (2013) Week Of ... |
Soccer America |
Soccer Times |
NSCAA |
College Soccer News |
Top Drawer Soccer |
| Sept. 2 | |||||
| Sept. 9 | RC | ||||
| Sept. 16 | RV | RV | RC | ||
| Sept. 23 | RV | RV | RC |
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.
DOUBLE-DIPPING
In the Highlanders' September 8 victory over Bradley, Ivan Garcia became the first member of the Highlanders to score two goals in a match this season. The last UC Riverside player to do it was Richie Osborne who scored a pair at UC Irvine on October 31, 2012.
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. They nearly bested that mark this season with a streak of 280:40 straight scoreless minutes that began in the final match of the 2012 season.
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
Last season, 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. Over the past three seasons, UCR is 16-3-1 in non-conference matches.
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.
