UC Riverside
UC Irvine
Women's Soccer Hosts UC Irvine Thursday, Travels To CSUN Sunday
10/8/2014 10:07:00 AM | Women's Soccer
| Highlanders Week Eight | |
| vs. UC Irvine | at CSUN |
| October 9, at 5:00 pm | October 12, at 5:00 pm |
| Live Stats Link | Live Stats Link |
| Click To Purchase Tickets | Click To Purchase Tickets |
Riverside—The UC Riverside Women's Soccer Team returns home this week to take on UC Irvine on Thursday at 5 pm PT in the Highlanders first home conference match of the season. They then travel to Northridge on Sunday for a 5 pm kickoff against the Matadors. Thursday's match is part of a double header with the UC Riverside Men's Soccer Team as they take on Cal Poly at 8 pm.
UCR opened Big West play with an 0-1-1 week battling UC Davis to a scoreless draw (box score/recap) and giving up a 1-0 lead late in regulation at Hawai'i before falling in double overtime, 2-1 (box score/recap).
UC Irvine is 4-5-2 on the year, but the Anteaters are 4-1-2 since dropping their first four matches of the season. This is the first Big West match of the season for UC Irvine as the 'Eaters were off thid past weekend.
Laura McGrail is the team's leading scorer with four goals and two assists. Jenn Randazzo has started every minute in goal for Irvine this season, and has a goals against average of 1.39. She has allowed just six goals in the last seven matches.
The Highlanders are 3-10-1 all-time against UC Irvine (view results), but one of those victories came in last year's Big West semifinals as UC Riverside edged the 'Eaters 2-1 in double overtine to advance to the conference title match (box score/recap/video recap).
The Matadors are 5-7-1 entering the weekend, and don't play again until hosting the Highlanders this weekend. CSUN opened conference play with road wins over UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly.
CSUN's success has come primarily on the defensive side of the ball this year as the Matadors have a goals against average of just 1.05 on the season. Cynthia Tafoya has played in eight matches in goal and has a GAA of 1.34, and Jovani McCaskill has played five matches between the pipes and has a 0.59 goals against average. Leandra Walker (two goals and one assist) and Lyndsey Preston (two goals) are the only members of the squad with more than one goal to their credit this season.
UC Riverside is 6-7-0 all-time against CSUN (view results) including a 3-1 win over the Matadors last season (box score/recap).
| Highlanders vs. Anteaters and at Matadors | |||||||||||
| UC Riverside | UC irvine | CSUN | |||||||||
| 2014 Stats & Record | 5-4-3. 0-1-1 | 4-5-2, 0-0-0 | 5-7-1, 2-0-0 | ||||||||
| Schedule | Schedule | Schedule | |||||||||
| Roster | Roster | Roster | |||||||||
| Current Streak | L 1 | L 1 | W 2 | ||||||||
| Last Box Score | L, 2-1 (2 OT) at Hawai'i | L, 2-1 vs. Loyola Marymount | W, 2-1 (2 OT) at Cal Poly | ||||||||
| Next Opponent | vs. UC Santa Barbara October 17 at 6 pm PT | at Long Beach October 12 | vs. UC Davis October 16 | ||||||||
| Top Scorer x x x x |  | Tyler Cunningham Junior 3 goals, 5 assists 11 points |  | Laura McGrail Senior 4 goals, 2 assists 10 points |  | Leandra Walker Senior 2 goals, 1 assist 5 points | |||||
| Top Goalkeeper x x x x |  | Elizabeth Silas Junior 12 matches 1.28 gaa, 45 saves |  | Jennifer Randazzo Senior 11 matches 1.39 gaa, 34 saves |  | Cynthia Tafoya Junior 8 matches 1.34 gaa, 25 saves | |||||
| Record vs. | 3-10-1 (results) | 6-7-0 (results) | |||||||||
| Current Streak vs. | W 1 | W 1 | |||||||||
GAME NOTES
THOSE WHO DO NOT STUDY HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT
One year ago, Big West coaches picked the Highlanders to finish last in the conference. UC Riverside finished third and advanced to the Big West Championship Game before falling to Cal State Fullerton via penalty kicks. This year, Big West coaches again picked the Highlanders to finish last. UC Riverside currently has the highest overall winning percentage in the league with a record of 5-4-3.
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
The Highlanders advanced to the Championship Match of the Big West Conference Tournament in 2013 tying Cal State Fullerton, 1-1, before falling in penalty kicks (box score/recap). This marked the second time in UC Riverside's 13-year history that the team made it to the league title game. In 2005, they dropped a 4-1 decision to those same Titans (box score/recap).
COACH OF THE YEAR
UC Riverside Head Coach Nat Gonzalez was named the Big West Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the 2013 regular season after leading the Highlanders to a third place conference finish. Prior to the season, Big West coaches picked UC Riverside to finish last.
RARIFIED AIR
The 2013 Highlanders four wins in conference were the second most in the history of the program. The 2003 squad went 5-3-1 en route to a third place Big West finish, while the 2002 and 2005 teams also each won four matches.
| Season | W | L | T | Pts | Place |
| 2003 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 16 | Third |
| 2005 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 15 | Second |
| 2002 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 13 | Sixth |
| 2013 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 12 | Third |
PRESEASON ACCOLADES
Big West coaches named UC Riverside junior forward Tyler Cunningham to the preseason All-Conference Team (story) while College Sports Madness.com selected Tyler to its Preseason All-Big West Second Team, and sophomore midfielder Sammy Arellano and junior defender Briana Thomasson to the First Team (story).
FEELING A LITTLE RANK
For the first time in the history of the program, the UC Riverside Women's Soccer Team is ranked in the NSCAA West Region. They have been as high as fifth this season, but are currently ranked ninth.
HIGHLANDERS HARDWARE
Tyler Cunningham was named the Tournament Most Outstanding Player at the UNLV Rebel Classic after leading the Highlanders to a 2-0 record and the Tournament Championship (story). She scored a goal and dished out two assists on the weekend. In addition to being named Most Outstanding Player, the Fairfield, CA native was named Most Outstanding Offensive Player and to the All-Tournament Team. Alina Cheatham and Amber Marani also earned All-Tournament honors.
The Big West named Cunningham the conference Offensive Player of the Week (story), and CollegeSportsMadness.com named her the Madness Big West Women's Soccer Player of the Week (story).
Blanca Barrio joined Cunningham as a 2014 recipient of Big West Offensive Player of the Week accolades when the conference honored her for her play from September 8-14 (story). She scored two goals and handed out a pair of assists in the Highlanders 3-0 and 4-0 blankings of Northern Iowa and Bakersfield respectively.
Elizabeth Silas picked up her second career Big West Defensive Player of the Week nod on September 29 following a week that saw her record her third complete-game shutout of the season vs. Duquesne, collecting six saves including the stop of a penalty kick early in the first half (box score/recap/video recap). She then helped the Highlanders nearly engineer an upset of sixth-ranked Texas Tech, recording four saves, but UCR came up just short in a 3-2 defeat (box score/recap). College Sports Madness later named her the Big West Player of the Week as well (story).
LENDING A HELPING FOOT
Blanca Barrio and Tyler Cunningham each have five assists on the season. The school record for a season is six, set by Vanessa Chanez and Amber Plumlee in 2004.
RARIFIED AIR II
The Highlanders are 5-4-3. The last time they boasted a better record through 12 matches was in 2007 when they were 7-4-1.
YOU OLD BLANKETY-BLANK
The Highlanders have five shutouts in 2014 which is the most for the program since the 2009 squad recorded eight clean sheets.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
With 23 goals through 12 matches, UC Riverside has already topped its entire scoring output from the 2013 season.
With 23 assists through 12 matches, the 2014 squad already ranks fourth in history of the program for most assists in a season.
| Single-Season Team Goals | Single-Season Team Assists | |||||||
| Season | Matches | Goals | Projected | xxxxxxxxxxxxx | Season | Matches | Assists | Projected |
| 2004 | 19 | 45 | 2004 | 19 | 39 | |||
| 2002 | 19 | 36 | 2005 | 21 | 24 | |||
| 2008 | 20 | 32 | 2002 | 19 | 24 | |||
| 2003 | 21 | 31 | 2014 | 12 | 23 | 35 | ||
| 2005 | 21 | 28 | ||||||
| 2006 | 18 | 26 | ||||||
| 2012 | 20 | 24 | ||||||
| 2007 | 18 | 24 | ||||||
| 2014 | 12 | 23 | 35 | |||||
FOUR SCORES AND SIX YEARS AGO
The Highlanders scored four goals in a match on August 24, 2014 beating Northern Arizona by a score of 4-2 (box score/recap). On September 12, 2014, they dropped a quad on Bakersfield in a 4-0 victory (box score/recap/video recap). The last time UCR scored more than four goals in a match was in a 5-0 season-opening win over Southern Utah on August 22, 2008 (box score/recap).
SPREADING THE WEALTH
Thirteen different Highlanders have dented the back of the net so far in 2014, which is the most since 15 players scored during the 2003 campaign.
